Supreme Court Not Being Sufficiently Proficient in Arabic, Is Ill-Equipped to Interpret the Quran to Determine Hijab’s Essentiality: Muslim Side
New Age Islam News Bureau
13 September 2022
Photo: The Times of India
----
• Robots to Relay Sermons and Call to Prayer from the
Imams and Muezzins to Pilgrims at Mecca's Grand Mosque
• US Special Envoy Condemns Taliban’s ‘Cynical’ Policy
towards Girls’ Education
• Moroccan Army Chief Given Official Reception in
Israel
• Greek Authorities Want To Install Christians in Mufti
Offices in Western Thrace: Muslim Cleric, Mustafa Trampa
India
• 1991 Places of Worship Act and 1942 Allahabad HC
Ruling Settle Gyanvapi's Status as a Mosque
• Gyanvapi: Gleeful Sangh Parivar Members Get a Poll
Pot to Stir
• Over 30% of Detainees in Indian Prisons Are Muslims,
Double Their Share in Population
• Organisers Booked for Provocative Songs outside
Mosque during Ganesh Procession in Kalaburagi
• Gyanvapi Mosque Row: Varanasi District Court Verdict
'Disappointing', Communal Harmony Will Be Harmed, Fears AIMPLB
• Want UP-style madrasa surveys, mosque CCTVs in
police control, says new Uttarakhand Waqf Board head
• PM Modi renews invitation to Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed to visit India
--------
Arab
World
• Bahrain Prevents Prominent Shia Cleric from
Traveling To Iraq to Commemorate Arba’een
• Iraqi Shia wailer hit with lawsuits for poem
allegedly stirring up 'ethnic strife'
• Six Syrians die in attempt to reach Italy: UN
• Global summit on artificial intelligence kicks off
in Riyadh
• Bahrain has highest number of political prisoners
among Arab countries: Rights group
• Four Turkish soldiers killed in clashes with PKK
militants in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region
--------
North
America
• US anger over Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul key
reason for Taliban travel ban
• US calls for immediate end to hostilities on
Azerbaijani-Armenian border
• Afghan women face 'gender apartheid' under Taliban:
Former parliamentarian
• US CENTCOM urges nations to bring ISIS relatives
home from Syria
--------
Africa
• Burkina Junta Chief Sacks Defence Minister as
Extremist Violence Rages
• Kenya's outgoing leader hosts rival President-elect
Ruto hours before inauguration
• Tigray rebels ready for truce, African Union-led
peace talks to end Ethiopia conflict
--------
Europe
• King Charles III A ‘Friend’ Of British Muslims, Says
Head of Muslim Council of Britain
• British Muslims being reduced to 'second class'
status by citizenship removal laws: report
• Brussels terror attack trial starts amid controversy
over glass boxes for defendants
• Turkish-origin politician elected deputy in Swedish
parliament
• Almost 80% of Turks want EU membership, says senior
Turkish diplomat
• Germany urges Iran to revive nuclear deal, despite
Israel’s opposition
• Muslim Council of Britain chief pens condolence
letter to King Charles III
--------
Mideast
• Hamas Says Israeli Blockade of Gaza Crime against
Humanity
• Three soldiers killed in Al-Qaeda counterattacks in
Yemen’s Abyan
• Top Commander: Iran's Advanced Precision-Striking
Drone Special Weapon for Destroying Israel
• Pro-Iran faction in Iraq sticks to its pick for
premier
• Iran nuclear talks in disarray as monitors meet on
probe
• Israel's spy chief says no deal gives Iran
'immunity' from its operation
• Iran says developed drone designed to hit Israel’s
Tel Aviv, Haifa
• Israel arrested 607 Palestinians in August, advocacy
groups say
--------
Pakistan
• PTI to Move Court against Maryam for ‘Accusing Imran
of Blasphemy’
• Fear Grips Tirah Areas in Khyber As Families Flee
After ‘Arrival’ Of Militants
• 5 killed, dykes breached as rains lash Mirpurkhas,
Tharparkar in Sindh
• Opposition flays KP govt’s ‘poor’ response to rising
militancy, extortion cases
• Imran proposes limited extension in COAS Gen Bajwa’s
tenure
• COAS Bajwa Not Interested In Seeking Extension,
PML-N Stalwart Says
--------
South
Asia
• Journalist in Kapisa in Islamic Emirate’s Custody:
Family
• Back to back explosions hit Hazara neighbourhood in
Kabul
• Taliban to Ink Contract with UAE over Airspace
Control
• ‘Very Limited’ US Intelligence Capability in
Afghanistan, Retired American General Says
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Hadi Spoke about Graft, Not Race, Say Non-Muslim
Supporters
• Pejuang may place youths from NGOs as GE15
candidates
• 1MDB trial: Banker confirms Najib never complained
when millions flowed in and out of AmIslamic account
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/supreme-court-arabic-quran-hijab/d/127940
--------
Supreme Court Not Being Sufficiently Proficient in
Arabic, Is Ill-Equipped to Interpret the Quran to Determine Hijab’s
Essentiality: Muslim Side
Photo: The Times of India
----
Sep 13, 2022
NEW DELHI: In an abrupt switch of gears, the Muslim
side on Monday said the Supreme Court, not being sufficiently proficient in
Arabic, is ill-equipped to interpret the Quran. It argued that instead of
determining the essentiality of hijab to Islam by attempting to interpret the
holy book, the court should view hijab as an individual woman’s right to choose
a piece of cloth to protect her privacy, dignity and identity.
The fresh of argument by the side that had earlier
contended that hijab was essential to Islam, advanced in different forms by
senior advocates Yusuf H Muchhala and Salman Khurshid. The last hearing in the
court had seen a bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia, relying
upon the Muslim side’s argument on non-mandatory nature of five tenets of Islam
— Namaz, Roza, Zakat, Hajj and Imaan — to ask how hijab, ranked lower in the
hierarchy, could then be termed compulsory in Islam.
As the court was hearing the Karnataka hijab ban case,
the Muslim side’s change of track was palpable as Muchhala, counted among
veteran experts on Muslim personal law, said, “Privacy means autonomy of body
and mind. Right to conscience and the right to religion are complimentary. So
when a Muslim women wants to wear hijab, it is her choice of cloth to feel
empowered as well as protect her dignity and privacy.”
He said the ‘Amritdhari’ Sikh women also wear turban
and their right to wear it to educational institution should also be protected
as much as Muslim women’s right to sport headscarves. “We are concerned with
individual rights. Whether hijab is essential to Islam is not a question in
these batch of petitions,” Muchhala said, not wanting the court to examine the
essentiality of hijab to Islam.
The bench sought a clarification from Muchhala on his
contradictory stands. It said, “First, you asserted that wearing hijab is a
religious right. Now, you are arguing that the court should not get into
interpreting Quran to determine whether hijab is essential to religion. And
then, you are arguing that the matter should be referred to a nine-judge bench
to determine whether this practice is essential to religion.”
The bench said, “Even if this matter is referred to a
nine-judge bench (which would hear issues relating to entry of Hindu women of
all age-groups into Sabarimala temple, Muslim women into mosques and Parsi
women into Agiyari), you could argue before the nine-judge bench that it too
cannot interpret Quran and adjudicate on essentiality of hijab to Islam.”
Khurshid argued that wearing hijab by a Muslim women
could be because of her religious belief, a conscience call, a cultural
necessity or a personal choice to maintain identity, dignity and privacy.
“Cultural practices needs to be respected in a country of vast cultural
diversity like India. The Muslim women do not want to defy the rule requiring
them to wear uniform. They want to wear an additional cloth, in the nature of a
headscarf, to honour their cultural requirement as well as personal choice.”
The arguments would continue on Wednesday.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
Robots
to Relay Sermons and Call to Prayer from the Imams and Muezzins to Pilgrims at
Mecca's Grand Mosque
Abdul
Rahman Al-Sudais (L), the general president of the Two Holy Mosques in Saudi
Arabia, gestures while launching the new set of robots
(Twitter/@ReasahAlharmain)
-----
12
September 2022
Saudi
Arabia has launched a set of robots equipped with artificial intelligence
technology in the Grand Mosque of Mecca, which will help worshippers during
their visit to the holy site.
Unveiled
over the weekend, the robots will communicate public messages, such as sermons
and prayer calls, from the imams and muezzins to pilgrims.
Visitors
can use their smartphones to scan the robot's barcodes to show content such as
verses from the Quran and download it on their devices.
They
can also interact with the robots via voice commands to obtain general
information about the imams and muezzins and their weekly schedules.
Abdul
Rahman Al-Sudais, the general president of the Two Holy Mosques, said on Friday
that the new robots were launched as part of the "smart campus project, in
accordance with Vision 2030 and the Presidential Strategic Plan 2024, which
aims to provide maximum services to visitors to the two holy mosques".
According
to Saudi Arabia, Vision 2030, which was launched in 2016, is aimed at opening
up the country, privatising parts of the economy, reducing subsidies,
attracting investors and weaning dependency off oil.
Earlier
this year, Saudi Arabia introduced several intelligent robots in the Grand
Mosque ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage, including robots specialised in cleaning
the floor surface around the Kaaba, the shrine located in the centre of the
mosque.
In
December, Saudi Arabia launched a "Virtual Black Stone Initiative"
that allowed Muslims to see and virtually touch the Black Stone, a rock set
into the eastern corner of the Kaaba, without leaving home.
This
year, almost one million pilgrims were allowed to attend the Hajj pilgrimage in
Mecca after two years of cancellations and restrictions on the ritual - which
is a lifeline for the kingdom's economy - as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
All
able-bodied Muslims are expected to perform Hajj at least once in their lives.
Source:
Middle East Eye
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-mecca-grand-mosque-robots-sermons-call-prayer-relay
--------
US
Special Envoy Condemns Taliban’s ‘Cynical’ Policy towards Girls’ Education
Photo:
The Khaama Press
-----
By
Saqalain Eqbal
12
Sep 2022
Rina
Amiri, the US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights in
Afghanistan, slammed the Taliban’s policy of prohibiting girls from attending
school past the sixth grade, calling it “cynical politics” that lacks any
foundation in either culture or religion.
The
Taliban’s “cruel” stance toward girls’ education, according to the special
envoy Amiri, dashes the hopes and potential of young Afghan girls.
“There
is no justification for continuing this cruel & destructive policy. Not
culture, not religion nor logistics,” Rina Amiri wrote on her Twitter handle on
Sunday, September 11.
Earlier
this week, after the schools, closed their doors to the girls and they were
sent home in tears, young girls protested on the streets of Paktia province in
southeast Afghanistan in front of the provincial directorate of education.
Without
the Taliban’s formal instructions, the province’s schools reopened for girls
after a decision by tribal chiefs and local education authorities but were
closed again after only two weeks.
This
comes as the Taliban Acting Minister of Education, Noorullah Munir, addressing
an audience in Uruzgan province in central Afghanistan stated that given the
current situation, parents in Afghanistan do not want to and are reluctant to
send their daughters to school.
Afghan
girls past the sixth grade have been denied the right to an education and the
opportunity to attend school since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last
year, despite calls for the Taliban group to reopen girls’ schools and
sanctions from the international community. However, the issue has not yet been
resolved.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Moroccan
Army Chief Given Official Reception in Israel
Photo:
aa.com
----
Abdelraouf
Arnaout
13.09.2022
Morocco’s
army chief Lt. Gen. Belkhir El-Farouk started an official visit to Israel on
Tuesday to participate in a military conference in the city of Tel Aviv.
El-Farouk
was offered an official reception ceremony upon his arrival and was welcomed by
Israeli army chief Aviv Kochavi.
El-Farouk
will take part in the Israeli army's International Operational Innovation
Conference along with the participation of military leaders from other
countries.
On
Monday, the Moroccan army confirmed El-Farouk's participation in the
conference, which takes place from Sept. 12 to 15.
"It
will lay the foundations for solid cooperation in the field of
multi-dimensional defense and military renewal," the army said in a
statement.
Last
week, the Israeli army said dozens of military leaders would take part in the
conference, including Arab countries.
In
2020, Israel and Morocco announced the resumption of bilateral diplomatic
relations, after their suspension in 2000.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/moroccan-army-chief-given-official-reception-in-israel/2683759
--------
Greek
Authorities Want To Install Christians in Mufti Offices in Western Thrace:
Muslim Cleric, Mustafa Trampa
Mustafa
Trampa/ Photo: aa.com
-----
Halil
Ibrahim Medet
13.09.2022
The
newly elected Muslim cleric (mufti) of the Turkish minority in the Xanthi
region of Western Thrace in Greece said Monday that discriminatory practices
are being carried out against the Turkish minority in the region.
Mustafa
Trampa, who was elected as the new cleric on Sept. 9, told Anadolu Agency that
the legal basis of the institution of the mufti is the Athens Treaty of 1913,
Law No. 2345 enacted in 1920 and the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, but Greece
violated the fundamental rights of the Turkish minority under both these
treaties.
Stating
that the rights of the Turkish minority have been violated by new laws and
decrees, Trampa said: "Our people clearly showed their reaction
against…the mufti who was appointed without discussing it with our advisory
board, our highest institution. Since 1990, our people began to elect their own
mufti, as specified in treaties and laws. The process started with the unlawful
dismissal of our muftis.”
Attitude
of Greek media immoral, unlawful
Noting
that the Greek media took an "immoral and unlawful" attitude towards
them with the announcement of the mufti candidacy, Trampa said what was done
was open discrimination and an attitude that harmed human dignity.
He
said the Greek press also slandered him and he condemned these approaches,
which contradicted the principles of journalism.
"Everyone
does what suits them," he said.
The
"black propaganda" did not find any response in the eyes of the
people of Western Thrace and the commonsense Greeks, he said, but it further
angered the extremist groups who read these newspapers.
Trampa
noted that even though they can pray freely in Greece, their religious freedoms
are severely violated.
"The
approach that if you can pray, then you have freedom is wrong because the Greek
government has issued decrees with the force of law to minimize your
institution and turn it into a state office. Greece's policies towards the
religions of minorities are a great example of unlawfulness."
Authorities
aim to place Christians in minority foundations, religious institutions
Stating
that the aim of the Greek authorities is to place Christians in minority
foundations and religious institutions, Trampa said: "For example,
Christians lead the foundation committee in Rhodes. Christians are among the
delegations here, including secretaries or in different positions. The latest
law states that Christians or people from different religions can also be
employed in mufti offices."
He
said it is very difficult to obtain the necessary permits for the maintenance
and repair of mosques in Western Thrace and that the bureaucratic procedures
that can be completed in two to three months for the construction of a new
village mosque have been extended up to 20 years.
"They
are doing their best to alienate you from these works," he said.
3rd
elected mufti of Xanthi
The
election of the mufti, in which Trampa and Mustafa Kamo were candidates, was
held on Sept. 9 with voting done with a show of hands in mosques in Xanthi.
In
the election, in which 7,320 people took part, 2,570 voted for Kamo and 4,750
for Trampa.
Trampa,
who won the election after Ahmet Mete, the elected mufti of Xanthi, passed away
on July 14, became the third elected mufti of Xanthi.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
India
1991
Places of Worship Act and 1942 Allahabad HC Ruling Settle Gyanvapi's Status as
a Mosque
September
12, 2022
Shadan
Farasat
New
Delhi: The destruction of a monument of political, cultural or religious
significance erected by an earlier, defeated order followed by the erection of
a new building upon its ruins was standard practice for emperors and kings of
all faiths in history. Though the pedigree of a given artefact or architectural
element could be open to doubt, India is full of monuments which bear traces
and vestiges of earlier constructions. None of this is of any legal relevance
to the religious character of a site, after the passing Places of Worship
(Special Provisions) Act 1991.
The
1991 Act says that a mosque, temple, church or any place of public worship in
existence on August 15 1947, will retain the same religious character that it
had on that day – irrespective of its history – and cannot be changed by the
courts or the government.
Parliament
was well aware of the possible traces of history at many places of worship, and
it intended to put an end to claims that seek to set the clock back. “In
preserving the character of places of public worship, Parliament has mandated
in no uncertain terms that history and its wrongs shall not be used as
instruments to oppress the present and the future.” This is what the Supreme
Court said in one voice in its 2019 Ayodhya judgment, authored by five judges.
The
Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi was built upon a temple destroyed in 1669 on
Aurangzeb’s orders and video surveys are hardly needed to identify Hindu
features and motifs that are part of its masonry and structure. What matters in
law is the status of the Gyanvapi mosque on August 15,1947. Its status as a
mosque and a waqf was noted by a judgment of the Allahabad high court (AIR 1942
Allahabad 353, Din Mohammed and Ors. vs Secretary of State). Hindutva activists
cite this judgment at their own peril.
In
1935 or 1936, some Muslim individuals went to court for a declaration to the
effect that the enclosure outside the mosque was included in the dedicated
waqf. During Eid and other special prayers, the congregation spilt over beyond
the mosque into this enclosure. By its decree, the civil court recognised that
the mosque itself, the plinth underneath and some adjacent portions were waqf
but the enclosure around it was not. The issue in appeal was the status of this
enclosure – which was held to be an area of public usage over which neither the
Muslims (nor anyone else) could claim exclusive use, by ownership or by custom.
The
Allahabad high court confirmed the findings of the civil court and also traced
an instructive history of the administrative policy to protect the rights of
both communities as they stood, in the area of the Gyanvapi site.
Following
communal riots in 1809, a magistrate named Watson suggested exclusion of
Muslims from the mosque in a letter to the vice president in council. His
suggestion was turned down. The high court found a reference to this in a
letter of March 28, 1810, written by a secretary to the government to the
acting magistrate. Watson’s letter is quoted by those who want the Muslims
ejected from the mosque but they omit to mention its summary rejection by the
vice president in council.
Some
passages of the aforesaid Allahabad high court judgment are worth noting:
“4.
The learned Civil Judge found that the land under the mosque and its plinth was
waqf land. He also found that some
houses over and nearer the northern gate of the mosque had been in the
possession of the mutwallis for over 12 years and might be considered as
waqf. It was further established in his
opinion that the Musalmans had been in the habit of celebrating an urs or
memorial service once a year near two graves to the west of the mosque and of
using the part of the open land occupied by ruins as a passage for going over
the proof (sic) of the mosque (whatever that may mean). He gave the plaintiffs
a declaration to the effect that they could use the waqf property for the
purpose of their religious ceremonies and that they could use the land near
graves to the west in order to celebrate the urs once a year and that they
could use the land covered with ruins as a passage but also declared that they
had had no right to offer ordinary, funeral or Alvida prayers on any portion of
the land marked red in the plaint map which would be part of the decree, but
they might, if they liked, offer prayers on the proof (sic) of the mosque and
of a certain house occupied by a dhobi or washerman and in the house over the
northern gate and the house to the east of the gate and over the plinth to the
north of the mosque over which there existed many graves. I may mention that
the portion marked red and in the plaint map is that part of the enclosure
between the mosque itself and the surrounding houses or wall.
The
plaintiffs appealed. The first question which naturally arises is whether the
whole of the enclosure is wakf or dedicated land. The learned Civil Judge has
gone into the history of this mosque and has come to the conclusion that it was
built on the site of a Hindu temple which was demolished by the Emperor
Aurangzeb in the seventeenth century. I do not think that it is necessary to go
into the question of the origin of the mosque. It is sufficient to go back to
the year 1809 when there was a serious riot between Hindus and Musalmans in
that part of Benares where the mosque is situated. It appears from a letter
from a Secretary to Government to the acting Magistrate of Benares written on
28rd March, 1810, that the previous Magistrate, Mr. Watson, had suggested that
the Musalmans should be absolutely excluded from the mosque and that the
Vice-President in Council disapproved of this suggestion. The vice-President
based his opinion upon the obvious expediency of uniformly manifesting the
strictest impartiality on the occurrence of any dispute between the Hindus and
Musalmans. He pointed out that a departure from that principle would be
productive of the utmost jealousy and discontent on the part of those who were
excluded and would give rise to the most extravagant pretensions on the part of
other party. He asserted that the authorities must depend for the maintenance
of public tranquility on a firm and just confidence in the known intentions of
Government to afford both parties equal protection in the exercise of their
religious opinions and on the conviction that any violence or outrage on either
side would infallibly meet its merited punishment. The Vice-President approved
of the proposal of the acting Magistrate for re-establishing the exercise of
the Hindu and a Mahomedan religion respectively at the place mentioned in his
letter which seems to suggest that both parties were to be allowed to perform
their legitimate ceremonies in the enclosure of this mosque.”
The
1942 judgment – which upheld Gyanvapi’s status as a mosque – binds all the
current proceedings.
Even
today, none of the Hindu worshippers deny that the mosque was in existence on
August 15,1947, nor is it their case that a temple was converted to Muslim use
only after that date. They do not deny that Muslim worship took place at the
site on August 15, 1947 and thereafter. The only allegation is that the structure
was not made by any waqf known to be set up by Aurangzeb and must not be
treated as a mosque. This allegation has no meaning in the face of a judicial
declaration that the mosque and the plinth upon which it stands is indeed waqf.
The
Allahabad high court also declared that the enclosure around the mosque was to
be a public space. In fact, the high court records that periodic intrusions
into this space – whether by Hindus or by Muslims – were corrected by the
administration, and idols were removed from this space on occasion.
Now,
fast forward to 2022. The grievance of the plaintiffs in the current suits
appears to be that the temple was demolished in 1669. A slew of suits have been
filed seeking court orders to enable
Hindu worship in the mosque area, and even for the removal of the mosque. It is
self-evident that such pleas are pleas to change the religious character of the
mosque. A belated suit claiming that the deity Vishvanath has title to the land
on which the mosque stands is also awaiting a decision before the Allahabad
high court on whether such a claim can be at all maintained. Given that the sole purpose of the 1991 law
was that all such pleas and claims must cease, it is astonishing to see the sustained
campaign against the mosque, with allegations of idols and their damage coming
thick and fast.
Rani
Ahilyabai Holkar built the present Vishvanath temple in 1777. This is the temple that is statutorily recognised
by the Uttar Pradesh Kashi Vishvanath Temple Act 1983. In the course of
upholding the vires of this Act, the Supreme Court (in 4 SCC 606 Shree Adi
Vishveshvara vs State of UP, 1997) recognises that the original svayambhu
jyotirlinga was carefully removed from
the old structure and protected every time the temple was attacked. The deity
in the temple Ahilyabai built is the statutorily recognised “jyotirlinga”,
which any devotee of the Hindu faith would be loathe to deny. These are not
issues that can now be reopened.
The
Constitution Bench judgment in the Ayodhya case says this:
85…….”Section
4(1) clearly stipulates that the religious character of a place of worship as
it existed on 15 August 1947 shall be maintained as it existed on that day.
Section 4(2) specifically contemplates that all suits, appeals and legal
proceedings existing on the day of the commencement of the Places of Worship
Act, with respect to the conversion of the religious character of a place of
worship, existing on 15 August 1947, pending before any court, tribunal or
authority shall abate, and no suit, appeal or proceeding with respect to such
matter shall lie after the commencement of the Act. The only exception in the
proviso to sub-section (2) is where a suit, appeal or proceeding is instituted
on the ground that the conversion of the religious character of a place of
worship had taken place after 15 August 1947 and such an action was pending at
the commencement of the Places of Worship Act. (emphasis original)
Source:
The Wire
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Gyanvapi:
Gleeful Sangh parivar members get a poll pot to stir
J.P.
Yadav | New Delhi
13.09.22
The
BJP core leadership maintained tactical silence but members of the wider Sangh
parivar, including some ministers, a chief minister and a deputy chief minister,
appeared unable to suppress their joy at a Varanasi court’s ruling to examine
the right of Hindus to worship on the premises of the Gyanvapi mosque adjoining
the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
“Shiv
hi satya hai (Lord Shiva is the truth),” tweeted rural development minister
Giriraj Singh after the court ruling.
“Jai
Baba Vishwanath! Har Har Mahadev,” was the response of Madhya Pradesh chief
minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Uttar
Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya could not resist tweeting:
“Karwat leti Mathura, Kashi (Mathura and Kashi turn sideways)!”
Maurya’s
tweet referred to the two other religious disputes, in addition to Ayodhya,
raised by the BJP in the past.
Although
these leaders did not explicitly link their tweets to the court ruling, they
left little unsaid. While speaking to news channels, they welcomed the verdict.
Giriraj,
a cabinet minister in the Narendra Modi government, went to the extent of
indirectly appealing to the Muslim community to forgo its claim over Kashi and
Mathura.
“I
want to appeal to the Muslims that Kashi and Mathura are cultural icons of
Bharat. For us (the Hindus), Mecca and Medina are all here,” he said, asking
whether Muslims can deny that Aurangzeb and some other invaders had destroyed
temples.
This
surround sound of delight from the ruling dispensation, even as the core
leadership chose to remain silent, is being seen as a ploy to allow the
polarising issue to simmer while maintaining distance from it.
In
the recent past, BJP chief J.P. Nadda had stressed that the party had no role
in the fresh Gyanvapi controversy. “Courts and the Constitution will decide
issues like Gyanvapi,” Nadda had said. His response had come in May this year
when the Gyanvapi issue had hit the headlines amid claims that a Shivalinga had
been found on the premises.
Internally,
however, party leaders appeared joyous over the court’s ruling, terming it a
“big victory” for Hindus, confident that the issue would simmer in the run-up
to the bunch of state elections this year and next year and finally the 2024
Lok Sabha polls.
“We
don’t need to speak. The issue is acquiring a momentum of its own,” a party
leader said.
The
Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which had led the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in the 1980s
till the BJP officially took it over and reaped political dividends, came out
to celebrate the court ruling, saying the "first hurdle to the Gyanvapi
temple’s liberation has been crossed”.
“The
first hurdle has been crossed. Now the court will examine the matter on its own
merit. We do hope and look forward to a victory. The law, justice and truth are
with us,” VHP working president Alok Kumar said.
BJP
sources said that although their leadership would maintain silence, it cannot
stop party members and outfits like the VHP from speaking about the issue as it
concerns the sentiments of Hindus, who form the party’s core support.
Former
Union minister Uma Bharti, a leading player in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement,
too, welcomed the ruling and urged Muslims to go for an out-of-court
settlement, taking into account the faith of the Hindus.
The
BJP and the RSS had decided not to pursue the Kashi and Mathura controversies
after the Supreme Court handed over the Babri Masjid site to Hindus to build a
Ram temple.
The
party still maintains the same position but many leaders feel that given the
way the Gyanvapi issue is taking shape, they may be forced to speak out on the
subject in the days to come.
They
believe that questions will be raised also over the maintainability of the 1991
Places of Worship Act, which prohibits the conversion of any place of worship
and calls for maintenance of their religious character as they existed on
August 15, 1947.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Over
30% of detainees in Indian prisons are Muslims, double their share in
population
Vignesh
Radhakrishnan
Jasmin
Nihalani
SEPTEMBER
13, 2022
In
2021, over 30% of all detenues in Indian prisons were Muslims even though the
community’s share in the population is only 14.2%
In
2021, over 30% of all detenues in Indian prisons were Muslims even though the
community’s share in the population is only 14.2% (as of 2011). Indian jails
host four types of prisoners — convicts (persons found guilty of a crime and
sentenced by a court), undertrials (currently on trial in a court of law),
detenues (persons held lawfully in custody), and those who do not belong to any
of these three categories and who comprise a small share of the total number of
prisoners. Notably, in Assam, 61% of the convicts and 49% of the undertrials
were Muslims, while the population share of the community in the State was 34%.
Among States with a relatively high number of detainees, the share of Muslim
detainees was notably disproportationate to the population share in Gujarat,
U.P., Haryana and J&K U.T.
Share
of Muslims
The
chart shows the % of Muslims in the total population in India in 2011, the % of
Muslim convicts, the % of Muslim undertrials and the % of Muslim detenues in
Indian prisons as of 2021.
Share
of Hindus
The
chart shows the % of Hindus of the total population in India in 2011, the % of
Hindu convicts, the % of Hindu undertrials and the % of Hindu detenues in
Indian prisons as of 2021.
Share
of Muslims State-wise
The
chart shows the % of Muslims in the total population in 2011 (black circle),
the % of Muslim convicts (yellow), the % of Muslim undertrials (pink) and the %
of Muslim detenues (blue) in prisons across States as of 2021. While the share
of Muslim detenues was high in many States, the number of total detenues
(number given in brackets) was higher only in some. So, the share has to be
read along with the total detentions.
The
total number of detainees was relatively high in J&K U.T., U.P., Gujarat,
Haryana, Tamil Nadu, and Nagaland. Of these the Muslim share was notably
disproportionate to the population share in Gujarat, U.P., Haryana and J&K
U.T.
Source:
The Hindu
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Organisers
Booked for Provocative Songs Outside Mosque During Ganesh Procession in
Kalaburagi
By:
Harish Upadhya
SEPTEMBER
13, 2022
Police
in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi have registered a suo moto case against the
organisers of a Ganesh utsava procession for playing provocative songs outside
a mosque in the town.
The
procession was passing through the town’s super market area on September 10
night when it stopped in front of the Mehbas Masjid. The organisers had hired a
DJ for the procession and provocative songs were allegedly played outside the
mosque.
The
case was registered at the Brahmapura police station after a video of the
incident went viral on social media. Those booked include Bhovi Samaj Ganesh
Utsav Mandali, its president Tukaram and two others for hurting religious
sentiments and using a DJ without prior police permission among other offences
under the IPC. Arrests are yet to be made in the case.
On
Sunday, police in Karnataka’s Ballari district had arrested four men for
allegedly throwing slippers at a mosque in Siruguppa town during a Ganesh
utsava procession the day before. After a video of the incident went viral,
netizens demanded action. Taking note of the incident, ADGP Law and Order, Alok
Kumar, tweeted: “We have secured the accused persons. Appropriate legal action
is being taken against them.”
Source:
News18
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Gyanvapi
Mosque Row: Varanasi District Court Verdict 'Disappointing', Communal Harmony
Will Be Harmed, Fears AIMPLB
13
SEP 2022
The
All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has termed
"disappointing" the Varanasi district court's decision on the
maintainability of the Gyanvapi mosque case and urged the government to
implement the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, with full
force.
The
Varanasi district court on Monday said it will continue to hear a petition
seeking daily worship of Hindu deities whose idols are located on an outer wall
of the Gyanvapi Masjid, dismissing the mosque committee's argument that the
case is not maintainable.
What
did AIMPLB say?
In
a statement, AIMPLB General Secretary Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani said the
preliminary decision of the district judge's court was "disappointing and
saddening".
Rahmani
said in the midst of the Babri Masjid controversy in 1991, Parliament had
approved that the status quo at all religious places, except the Babri Masjid,
would be maintained as in 1947, and no dispute against it would be valid.
Then
in the Babri Masjid case, the Supreme Court upheld the Places of Worship
(Special Provisions) Act, 1991, and declared it mandatory, he pointed out.
"But
in spite of this, those who want to serve hatred and who do not care about the
unity of this country, raised the issue of Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi and it
is a pity that the district judge's court ignored the 1991 law and allowed the
petition," Rahmani said.
"Now,
this sad phase has come where the court has initially accepted the claim of
Hindu groups and has paved the way for them. It is a painful thing for the
country and the people," he said.
This
will affect the unity of the country and harm communal harmony, Rahmani said.
The
government should implement the 1991 law with full force, all the parties
should be made bound to this law and a situation should not arise wherein the
minorities get frustrated with the justice system and feel all the doors of
justice are closed for them, he said in a statement.
What
is the current controversy all about?
District
Judge A K Vishvesh rejected the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee's petition
questioning the maintainability of the case, which has reignited the Kashi
Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi Masjid dispute.
Separately,
the Allahabad High Court which is hearing another case dating back to 1991 on
the temple-mosque dispute on Monday fixed September 28 for its next hearing.
The
mosque is located next to the iconic temple and the case in the Varanasi court
revived claims that the mosque was built on a portion of the Hindu structure
demolished on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
The
Supreme Court had directed the district court to first decide on the
maintainability of the case, filed by five Hindu women seeking permission to
offer daily prayers before the idols of Shringar Gauri.
The
mosque committee had approached the apex court, arguing that their plea was not
maintainable as the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, mandated
that the character of such places should remain as it was at Independence.The
1991 law made an exemption only for the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land
dispute.
Source:
Outlook India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Want
UP-style madrasa surveys, mosque CCTVs in police control, says new Uttarakhand
Waqf Board head
PRITHVIRAJ
SINGH
12 September,
2022
Dehradun:
Uttarakhand’s new Waqf Board chairman Shadaab Shams wants the Pushkar Singh
Dhami government to follow Uttar Pradesh’s example and conduct a survey of the
state’s unregistered madrasas.
Shams,
a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who was elected unopposed to the
position last week, told ThePrint in an interview that the Waqf Board will make
an official representation before the state government soon to identify
madrasas that are not affiliated to it or the Uttarakhand Madarsa Board (UMB) —
the regulatory body for institutions of Islamic learning.
The
Waqf Board and the UMB are the two state bodies that govern madrasas. Each has
jurisdiction over the madrasas that come under it.
“Taking
a leaf out of the UP government’s book, we’ll conduct a survey of madrasas
functioning in Uttarakhand. This will include those affiliated to the UMB or
Waqf Board as well as madrasas that are not registered with either of the two
government bodies,” Shams said.
The
aim, he further said, is to prepare a database of unregistered madrasas
functioning in the state and find out why they aren’t registered with the
board. The exercise is also aimed at identifying government-aided madrasas that
need an upgrade, he added.
Madrasas
that not registered with either the state waqf board or UMB will be given an
ultimatum — either get registered or be disbanded.
“No
unregistered madrasa will be allowed to function in Uttarakhand, no matter
what. I have spoken to the CM. Soon, a formal proposal will be submitted to him
for a survey,” said the Waqf Board chief.
The
development comes two months after Dhami’s government warned government-aided
madrasas to either get affiliated with the state board of education or face
action.
Shams
also said that security cameras will be installed in mosques and madrasas in
the state to check “unlawful activities, if any”.
According
to the Waqf Board’s estimates, Uttarakhand currently has 522 registered
madrasas (419 with UMB and 103 with Waqf Board), while nearly the same number
of madrasas are unregistered.
On
31 August, the UP government under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had ordered a
survey to identify unrecognised madrasas and gather details such as
organisations running them, curriculum, and source of income. The development
has sparked a political row, with the opposition claiming that the exercise was
meant to harass Muslims living in the state.
Upgraded
learning, better infrastructure
Shams
claimed that the new board plans to integrate madrasa learning with mainstream
education. This means including subjects like maths and science in the madrasa
education system: “Madrasas in Uttarakhand will now incorporate mainstream
subjects like sciences, mathematics, and languages like Hindi and English. They
will be converted into proper schools and modernised with smart classes and
education systems.”
The
plan is to allow religious teachings for four hours each — two in the morning
and two in the evening — while regular classes will be held from 8 am to 2 pm.
The
proposal, which is still in the pipeline, will first be implemented with the
103 madrasas affiliated with the Waqf Board and will be eventually replicated
in UMB institutions, Shams said.
The
board also has plans to upgrade madrasas — not only in terms of the curriculum
but also its infrastructure. For this, the Waqf Board has at its disposal large
amounts of funds — mostly through donations — and properties, he added.
Shams
also claimed that the board will set up centres for higher education for
madrasa students: “These centres will be in the form of ITIs and other
vocational and skill development centres so that madrasa students can have
better means of employment.”
According
to the board’s records, the Uttarakhand Waqf Board had properties worth nearly
Rs 3 lakh crore, he said, adding: “Rehmania Madrasa in Roorkee will be
developed as model minority study centre equipped with smart classes, adequate
teaching staff and other modern infrastructural facilities.”
CCTV
cameras in mosques, doing away with loudspeakers
Madrasas
and mosques under the state waqf board will be fitted with security cameras,
Shams said. “CCTV cameras will be installed in madrasas and all 709 mosques
managed by the state waqf board, with remote control at local police stations.
It’s aimed at preventing unlawful activities and maintaining transparency in
the mosques.”
New
mosques will not have any loudspeakers, and efforts will be made to remove them
from the existing ones as well, he said. The move is significant, especially
given the controversy surrounding loudspeakers that rocked two states — Uttar
Pradesh and Maharashtra — earlier this year.
The
board is also working on plans to open shelter homes for the elderly who have
been “abandoned” by their families, said Shams.
Called
“Second Inning” homes, residents of these shelters can go back to their
families when they want, he added.
Anti-encroachment
drive
The
BJP leader said that although the board had enough properties to fund its own
activities, several of them had been encroached upon. For this, the board will
most likely begin an anti-encroachment drive on 17 September, he said. First up
is the 14 bighas of waqf land in Dehradun, which Shams claims has been
encroached upon “for years”.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
PM
Modi renews invitation to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed to visit India
Sep
13, 2022
RIYADH:
Ahead of the National Day of Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
conveyed his greetings to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and renewed the
invitation to him to visit India at an early date.
External
Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who just concluded his first official visit to
Saudi Arabia and held talks with the top leadership here discussed measures for
enhancing bilateral relations across all domains, including political, trade,
energy, defence and security, the Indian embassy here said in a press release.
He
met the Saudi Crown Prince in Jeddah on Sunday and handed over a written
message from Prime Minister Modi, conveying greetings on the upcoming National
Day of Saudi Arabia on September 23 and reiterating invitation to the Crown
Prince to visit India at an early date, the press release said.
Crown
Prince Mohammed paid his first State visit to India in February 2019. During
the meeting, bilateral relations between the two countries and opportunities
for enhancing them were reviewed and the latest regional and international
developments, as well as the efforts being exerted towards them, were
discussed, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
Earlier
on Sunday in Riyadh, Jaishankar held talks with his Saudi counterpart Prince
Faisal bin Farhan and discussed current global political as well as economic
issues and agreed to work closely together in G-20 and multilateral
organisations.
The
two ministers co-chaired the inaugural meeting of the Committee on Political,
Security, Social and Cultural Cooperation (PSSC), under the framework of the
India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council.
Both
ministers assessed the progress in bilateral relations positively across all
domains including political, trade, energy, investments, defence, security and
culture. Several areas were identified for further enhancing bilateral
cooperation such as food security, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, defence
industry and entertainment, the Indian embassy press release said.
The
two ministers endorsed the work of the four Joint Working Groups of the PSSC
(Political and Consular; Defence; Legal and Security; and Social and Cultural)
as well as the Senior Officials Meetings. They also discussed greater
coordination between the two countries in multilateral organisations especially
the G-20, the statement said.
Jaishankar
met the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef Falah
Mubarak Al-Hajraf on September 10 and discussed India-GCC relations.
Jaishankar
and GCC Secretary General also signed an MOU on Mechanism of Consultations
between India and GCC. The MOU provides for institutionalisation of annual
dialogue between India and the GCC and setting up Working Groups on different
areas of cooperation.
India
and Saudi Arabia enjoy cordial and friendly relations reflecting the
centuries-old economic and socio-cultural ties. Saudi Arabia is India's
fourth-largest trading partner. More than 18 per cent of India's crude oil
imports are sourced from Saudi Arabia. During FY22 (April -December), bilateral
trade was valued at USD 29.28 billion.
During
this period, India's imports from Saudi Arabia were valued at $22.65 billion
and exports to Saudi Arabia were worth $6.63 billion.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
World
Bahrain
prevents prominent Shia cleric from traveling to Iraq to commemorate Arba’een
12
September 2022
Bahraini
authorities have prevented a prominent Shia Muslim cleric from traveling to
Iraq to join masses of pilgrims from around the world marching to the holy city
of Karbala to commemorate Arba’een, the 40th day after the martyrdom
anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shia Imam.
As
part of the Al Khalifah regime’s heavy-handed measures against members of the
majority religious community in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom, the officials
did not allow the president of Bahrain’s dissolved Shia Clerical Council, Sayed
Majeed al-Mishal, to depart Bahrain for Iraq.
The
authorities did not provide any reason for the restrictive measure,
Arabic-language Lualua television network reported.
Bahrain’s
Shia community has long complained about discrimination and marginalization at
the hands of the West-backed regime.
According
to human rights organizations, Bahraini authorities have imposed heavy curbs on
the religious freedom of the majority community since the outbreak of the
popular uprising and nationwide protests in 2011.
Last
month, Sheikh Hussain al-Daihi, the deputy secretary general of Bahrain's
dissolved al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, condemned Bahraini officials'
stringent restrictions on Shia citizens and prevented them from taking part in
Ashura mourning rituals.
He
said the practice falls within the framework of a “racist policy that has been
nurtured in recent years.”
Sheikh
Daihi pointed to the “deep rift between the Bahraini nation and the Manama
regime,” arguing that Bahraini authorities are misappropriating state
institutions in order to target Shias, their religious halls and preachers, and
whoever disobeys the orders will be punished harshly.
“Shias
in Bahrain do not seek to overthrow the ruling regime and establish their own
rule. At the same time, they do not accept the ongoing imposition of tailored
principles and certain religious orientations on them. Educational curricula,
media reports as well as judiciary and security bodies are all being misused
for the sake of suppressing Shias. This is the most contemptible level of
tyranny,” he pointed out.
Every
year on Arba’een, millions of people from around the world flock to Karbala.
Large groups of mourners travel on foot toward the holy city to take part in
the largest annual Islamic gathering on earth. The ceremony falls on September
27 this year.
Imam
Hussein (AS) and his 72 companions were martyred in the Battle of Karbala in
southern Iraq in 680 AD after fighting courageously for justice against the
much larger army of the Umayyad caliph, Yazid I.
Demonstrations
have been held in Bahrain on a regular basis ever since the popular uprising
began in mid-February 2011.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iraqi
Shia wailer hit with lawsuits for poem allegedly stirring up 'ethnic strife'
12
September, 2022
A
poem by an Iraqi Shia wailer known as Basim al-Karbalaei, in which he allegedly
curses the Companions of Islam Prophet Mohammed, describing them as
"gangsters", went viral on social media platforms and led to
condemnations and lawsuits for encouraging ethnic strife.
As
the Shia Muslims across Iraq and neighbouring Iran march to the holy city of
Karbala to commemorate Arbaeen, the poem has been trending high on Iraqi
Twitter. Arbaeen marks the end of the 40-day mourning period for the
seventh-century killing of Imam Hussein, Prophet Mohammed's grandson, by
followers of Caliph Yazid. The occasion falls on 17 September this year.
"The
Companions are gangsters", reads the poem and sung by al-Karbalaei during
the traditional Shia self-beating ceremonies, was published in a video clip on
his formal YouTube channel seven months ago.
The
Diwan of Sunni Endowment, a formal body related to the Iraqi federal
government, called for an investigation into the video clip and bringing those
behind the "slur" to justice. It stressed the need to uphold all
religious fatwas that "bans cursing all the religious symbols, especially
the Prophets and Messengers of God, Ahl al-Bayt (the Arabic term of the holy
family of the Prophet Muhammad), and the Companions of the Prophet."
Three
Iraqi lawyers on Monday raised two legal complaints against al-Karbalaei.
According
to Article 2 of the Iraqi constitution, "Islam is the official religion of
the State and is a foundation source of legislation" and Article 7
stipulates, "Any entity or program that adopts, incites, facilitates,
glorifies, promotes, or justifies racism or terrorism or accusations of being
an infidel (takfir) or ethnic cleansing, especially the Saddamist Ba'ath in
Iraq and its symbols, under any name whatsoever, shall be prohibited."
Scorning
religious minorities is punishable by no more than three years imprisonment
according to Article 372 of the Iraqi penal code of 1969.
Iraq's
Anti-Terrorism Law, Number 13 of 2005, also stipulates that the "use
violence or threat to stir up sectarian strife or civil war or sectarian
infighting by arming citizens or by encouraging them to arm themselves and by
incitement or funding."
Source:
The New Arab
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/legal-suits-hit-iraqi-shia-wailer-ethnic-strife
--------
Six
Syrians die in attempt to reach Italy: UN
12
September, 2022
Six
Syrians including two infants died of thirst and hunger as they attempted to
cross the Mediterranean Sea in a makeshift boat, the UN refugee agency said
Monday.
More
than thirty people attempted the crossing on the vessel, with many of the
survivors in an “extremely serious” state of health according to UNHCR.
“Six
Syrian refugees including children, women and teenagers lost their lives at
sea. They died of thirst, hunger and severe burns,” Chiara Cardoletti, UNHCR
official in Italy, wrote on her Twitter account.
“This
is unacceptable. Strengthening rescue at sea is the only way to prevent these
tragedies,” she added.
The
victims included two children aged one and two years old, a 12-year-old child
and three more adults, including a grandmother and mother also travelling with
children who survived the journey, according to a UNHCR statement.
The
26 survivors were being treated in Pozzallo, Sicily.
It
was not specified which country they had departed from.
Alarm
Phone, a group running a hotline for migrants needing rescue, said some 250
migrants were in need of rescue off the coast of Malta.
The
boat left Lebanon around a week ago, it said, and had now run out of fuel.
“Food
& drinking water finished 2 days ago. The caller said his 3-month old
daughter has died from thirst,” the group posted on Twitter.
Several
hundred migrants have been rescued in the past few days in the Mediterranean by
humanitarian groups.
German
NGO SeaWatch said on Monday it had 428 people on board a ship, waiting for a
port to be assigned.
“The
civil fleet has rescued hundreds of people in the past days, who otherwise
would have been pulled back to Libya or even drowned,” it said on Twitter.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Global
summit on artificial intelligence kicks off in Riyadh
13
September, 2022
The
second edition of the Global AI Summit kicked off Tuesday morning in the Saudi
capital Riyadh, bringing together various stakeholders and academics to discuss
the future of artificial intelligence and the Kingdom’s contribution to this
field.
Over
200 speakers representing 90 countries have come together for the global summit
that will run until September 15 at the King Abdul Aziz International
Conference Center and under the patronage of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman.
The
Global AI Summit, organized by Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA), will
touch on topics such as the impact of AI on the public and private sectors,
healthcare, environment, transportation, smart cities and culture among other
matters.
SDAIA
said on its website that “tech companies, startups, investors, and
entrepreneurs [will] meet at the Global AI Summit to shape the future of AI.”
Participants
will also focus on “exchanging expertise with local and international experts
and exploring investment opportunities related to AI technologies,” according
to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
During
the summit more than 40 agreements and Memorandums of Understanding will be
signed between public and private sectors from Saudi Arabia and abroad, SPA
added.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2022/09/13/Global-AI-Summit-kicks-off-in-Riyadh-
--------
Bahrain
has highest number of political prisoners among Arab countries: Rights group
12
September 2022
An
independent human rights organization has censured Bahrain over its repressive
measures and heavy-handed crackdown against political opponents and democracy
advocates, saying the Persian Gulf kingdom has the biggest number of political
prisoners among Arab states.
The
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) said in a report that Bahrain, under the
ruling Al Khalifah dynasty, has the largest number of imprisoned rights
activists, and it is estimated that there are some 4,500 campaigners being held
behind bars across the country.
The
organization went on to note that a lot of reports published over the past
decade have shed light on the deplorable conditions of prisoners at Bahraini
jails, prompting the international community and human rights organizations to
compel the Al Khalifah regime to relatively improve prison conditions.
BCHR
highlighted that Bahraini authorities have arrested about 15,000 people for
their political beliefs over the last decade, thus turning the country into the
first Arab nation with the highest number of prisoners in recent years.
Political
prisoners in Bahrain are subjected to various forms of torture, ill-treatment
and persecution, and the Al-Khalifa regime silences any opposing voice through
detention, torture and execution, it pointed out.
Lately,
Jalal Feroz, a former member of the Bahraini parliament, said more than 2,500
political opponents are incarcerated in Bahraini prisons, and that they are
subjected to the most vicious forms of torture.
BCHR,
the Persian Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) and Americans for Democracy
& Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) recently in a joint report entitled
“Prison Conditions in Bahrain” pointed to the serious structural deficiencies
in Bahrain’s criminal justice system, and lack of fair trials for defendants.
They
emphasized that human rights are being violated on a large scale at detention
centers across the Persian Gulf kingdom, and inmates are exposed to various
forms of torture and ill-treatment.
Demonstrations
have been held in Bahrain on a regular basis since the popular uprising began
in the Arab country in mid-February 2011.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Four
Turkish soldiers killed in clashes with PKK militants in Iraq’s Kurdistan
Region
12
September 2022
At
least four Turkish soldiers were killed after they engaged in fierce exchanges
of gunfire with members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group in
Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
Turkey’s
Ministry of National Defense said in a statement late on Sunday that Infantry
Specialist Sergeant Harun Yıldırım and Infantry Specialist Sergeant Savaş Borlu
were killed during clashes with the Kurdish militants in the Operation
Claw-Lock zone.
The
ministry later said that two of the four injured soldiers, Command Sergeant
Major Gökhan Ağıl and Infantry Specialist Sergeant Fatih Kalkan, succumbed to
their wounds in the hospital.
Turkey
launched Operation Claw-Lock in April to target the hideouts of PKK terrorists
in Iraq’s northern Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan areas.
It
was initiated after cross-border Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle to root
out terrorists hiding and plotting attacks in border areas close to Turkey.
Militants
of the PKK — designated as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States, and
the European Union — regularly clash with Turkish forces in the
Kurdish-dominated southeast of Turkey attached to northern Iraq.
In
response, the Turkish military has occupied areas in northern Iraq, where it
regularly conducts attacks against purported PKK positions without the Arab
country’s consent. Baghdad has repeatedly condemned Ankara’s ongoing military
operations there.
Iraqi
resistance groups have also time and again warned Turkey of the consequences of
its incursions into their country.
Back
in July, Turkey carried out a strike against the Iraqi hill village of Parakh
in the Zakho district of Dohuk province, killing at least nine tourists,
including children and women, and wounding more than 20 others.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North
America
US anger over Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul key reason for Taliban travel ban
Sep
12, 2022
As
anger over al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul was one of the
main reasons behind the decision not to extend a United Nations waiver allowing
Taliban officials to travel abroad, people familiar with the matter said.
Zawahri,
who led the terror network following the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011, was
killed in a US drone strike in Kabul on August 1. At the time, Zawahiri was sheltering
in a house in central Kabul owned by a top aide to Taliban deputy leader and
interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani.
In
June, a UN Security Council sanctions committee currently led by India voted to
remove two middle-ranking Taliban leaders from a sanctions exemption list
because of the Taliban’s failure to deliver on pledges to protect the rights of
women and children.
When
the renewal of the sanctions exemption list for 13 other Taliban leaders came
up before the sanctions committee last month, the US proposed re-imposing the
travel ban on seven Taliban leaders and retaining the exemption for six others
while limiting their travel to Qatar, the people said.
Russia
and China opposed the US move and proposed that all 13 Taliban leaders be given
exemptions from the travel ban for three months in order to travel to Russia,
China, Qatar, and unspecified regional countries. However, the joint
Russia-China proposal was opposed by France and the UK, the people said.
With
no agreement between the 15 members of the UN Security Council, the travel
waiver expired on August 19.
“There
was growing concern in the US side on the Taliban regime’s repeated failures to
deliver on commitments regarding the rights of women, children and minorities.
The anger over Zawahiri being found in Kabul added to that and led to the
decision to restrict the movements of Taliban leaders,” one of the people cited
above said.
“From
now on, every request for foreign travel by Taliban leaders will be taken up
individually by the sanctions committee and decisions made on a case-by-case
basis. Without clearance, they will be unable to travel,” a second person said.
In
recent years, concern has grown in the US, several European countries, and even
in India about the Taliban leadership misusing the travel waiver.
“Even
before their takeover of Kabul, the Taliban leaders who benefited from the
travel waiver were visiting countries where they had no real business,” a third
person said, pointing to visits to Central Asian countries and Iran by leaders
who were granted an exemption from the travel ban.
The
US had decided to allow some Taliban leaders to travel to Qatar as the American
administration has had most of its dealings with the group in Doha, where the
Taliban have had a political office since 2012.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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US
calls for immediate end to hostilities on Azerbaijani-Armenian border
Servet
Gunerigok
13.09.2022
WASHINGTON
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Monday for an immediate end to
military hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia following clashes on their
border.
"The
United States is deeply concerned about reports of attacks along the Armenia-Azerbaijan
border, including reported strikes against settlements and civilian
infrastructure inside Armenia," said Blinken in a statement.
"As
we have long made clear, there can be no military solution to the conflict. We
urge an end to any military hostilities immediately," he added.
Earlier,
the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said that the Armenian military carried out
extensive provocations in the evening hours on the border in the direction of
Dashkesan, Kalbajar and Lachin.
The
ministry said sabotage groups of the Armenian army laid mines on land and roads
between the positions of the Azerbaijani army in various directions, adding as
a result of measures taken by the Azerbaijani military to address the
situation, intense clashes broke out between troops of the two countries.
It
added that there were casualties among military personnel from both sides.
Relations
between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense
since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as
Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Afghan
women face 'gender apartheid' under Taliban: Former parliamentarian
UNITED
NATIONS
13.09.2022
Women
in Afghanistan are facing "gender apartheid" one year after the
Taliban takeover of the country, said a former Afghan parliamentarian on
Monday.
Women
and girls have been deprived of their rights, including the right to education,
and disappeared from the public under the Taliban rule, Afghanistan's de facto
authorities.
Thousands
have lost their jobs or were forced to resign, both in government institutions
and in the private sector since the Taliban made a return to power on Aug. 15
last year.
Girls
have been prevented from attending middle and high school.
"Time
clearly proves that the erosion of women's rights has been one of the most
notable aspects of the Taliban administration to date, and that African women
are experiencing one of the world's biggest human rights crisis," Naheed
Farid, who fled the country after the Taliban seized the control, told a press
conference at the UN headquarters.
"What
is happening in Afghanistan... is a gender apartheid," she said.
Afghan
women are choosing to take their lives out of hopelessness and despair, said
Farid, adding: "Death is preferable for them than living under the Taliban
regime".
Farid
appealed to the international community to demand the full rights of Afghan women
and girls as a non-negotiable starting point for all negotiations with the
Taliban.
She
also called for a platform for Afghan women to directly negotiate with the
Taliban on women's rights and human rights.
At
the press conference, Afghan human right activist Najiba Sanjar, for her part,
said 17 million Afghan girls and women are "experiencing an extremely
unique dilemma in human history.
"We
are all watching the suffering of women and girls, and minorities from the
screens of our TVs as if an action movie is going on," Sanjar added.
Taliban
returned to power in Afghanistan last year on Aug. 15 as officials of the
US-backed Kabul administration fled the country and foreign forces withdrew.
Taliban's
takeover of the government, followed by the disruption of international
financial assistance, has left the worn-torn country in economic, humanitarian
and human rights crises.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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US
CENTCOM urges nations to bring ISIS relatives home from Syria
13
September, 2022
The
head of the US armed forces’ Central Command Monday urged countries from around
the world to repatriate their nationals from a northeast Syrian camp housing
militants’ wives and children.
Al-Hol
camp holds around 56,000 people -- mostly Syrians and Iraqis, but also around
10,000 who consist largely of wives and children of ISIS fighters originating
from further afield.
Many
were taken to the camp during the defeat of the militant group’s self-declared
caliphate by US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces in 2019.
“I
encourage all of the countries that have citizens there to repatriate,
rehabilitate and reintegrate” camp residents, CENTCOM’s General Michael Kurilla
told reporters in Jordan’s capital Amman.
Syria’s
Kurds -- who run a semi-autonomous administration in northeast Syria -- have
repeatedly begged countries to repatriate their citizens.
But
such calls, despite being echoed by the United Nations, have largely fallen on
deaf ears, due to fears returnees might pose a security threat back home and
trigger a domestic backlash.
ISIS,
a Sunni extremist group, seized around a third of Iraq and swathes of war-torn
Syria in 2014, recruiting foreign militants from around the world, before it
was gradually ground down by US-backed forces on both sides of the border.
The
foreigners at Al-Hol are detained in a secure area away from other camp
residents, since many of them are still highly radicalized, posing problems for
Kurdish guards and other camp residents.
“I
think we have to look at this with empathy... because there is no military
solution to this,” Kurilla said.
“The
only solution is to repatriate, rehabilitate and reintegrate” camp residents.
About
50 percent of Al-Hol’s inhabitants believe ISIS’ “vile ideology,” Kurilla said,
while the other 50 percent “are those who have no other place to live and would
like to... go back to their native country.”
The
camp has grown increasingly volatile this year, with at least 26 people
murdered up to late August, according to the UN.
Around
700 ISIS-linked Iraqis are being repatriated per month from Al-Hol, said
Kurilla.
It
will take “about four years” to repatriate the Iraqi residents alone at that
rate, he noted.
“We
will have to accelerate that to a much faster” rate, he said, adding that the
US was working with Iraqi authorities towards that end.
But
repatriations to other countries have been even slower.
In
late July, the Kurdish administration handed Tajikistan 146 women and children
related to ISIS fighters, in the first such repatriation to the ex-Soviet
state.
France
in early July repatriated 35 children and 16 mothers from camps in northeast
Syria, according to the foreign ministry, taking the total number of children
returned to Paris to 161.
Kurdish-led
forces last month launched a security operation to flush out fighters hiding
out in Al-Hol following a resurgence of attacks.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Africa
Burkina
Junta Chief Sacks Defence Minister as Extremist Violence Rages
13 September,
2022
Burkina
Faso junta chief Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who took power
in a January coup, has sacked his defense minister and assumed the role himself
after a series of extremist attacks, according to decrees published Monday.
The
first decree, read on national television, removed General Barthelemy Simpore
as defense minister, while the second said the “president has taken over the
duties of the minister of national defense and veterans”.
Damiba
headed a group of officers who mounted a coup on January 24, toppling elected
leader Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who had failed to stem the extremist
insurgency that first emerged in Mali in 2012.
Much
of the Sahel region is now battling the insurgency after it spread to Burkina
Faso in 2015, then to Niger. In recent years, the violence has also begun to
spill over into West African coastal states Ivory Coast and Togo.
The
mini-shuffle in Burkina Faso is the first since the appointment of a
transitional government in March. At that time, Damiba chose to retain Simpore,
who had been appointed by Kabore.
In
another change, Colonel-Major Silas Keita was named minister delegate in charge
of national defense and promoted to brigadier general. He was the only new
minister introduced.
The
shuffle follows a string of deadly extremist attacks this month in the
landlocked West African country, where the insurgency has claimed more than
2,000 lives and forced about 1.4 million people to leave their homes.
Attacks
have increased since the start of the year, despite the junta’s vow to make
security its top priority.
September
has been particularly bloody.
Two
soldiers died and a dozen “terrorists” were killed Monday during an attack
against a military detachment in Burkina Faso’s extremist-hit north, the army
said.
Less
than a week earlier, security sources said separate attacks by suspected
extremists had killed nine people, mostly civilians, in the north.
On
September 5, at least 35 civilians were killed and 37 wounded when an
improvised explosive device blast struck a convoy carrying supplies between
Djibo and Bourzanga.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Kenya's
outgoing leader hosts rival President-elect Ruto hours before inauguration
Andrew
Wasike
12.09.2022
NAIROBI,
Kenya
Kenyan
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday hosted William Ruto, the president-elect,
and congratulated him on his win in the Aug. 9 elections.
“My
family and I join all Kenyans in wishing the very best to our next President
Dr. William Samoei Ruto and extending to him our warmest congratulations for
receiving the mandate of Kenyans to lead us as our fifth president,” Kenyatta
said in a statement shortly after meeting with Deputy President Ruto at State
House in Nairobi, the capital.
The
congratulatory message marked the first time that the Kenyan leader publicly
complimented Ruto and their first meeting in months after a fallout over
Kenyatta's open support for former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga as his
preferred presidential candidate.
In
a valedictory message to Kenyans after the meeting, Kenyatta said he is looking
forward to handing over the reins of power to his successor on Tuesday.
“You
the ordinary Kenyans have walked with me each step of the way, cheering me and
chastising me as the occasion dictated. To you all and to all those who have
served with me during my tenure as President, accept my immense gratitude,”
Kenyatta said.
On
Tuesday, Kenyatta will pass the baton to Ruto at Moi International Sports
Centre, Kasarani kicking off the fifth administration since Kenya’s
independence.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Tigray
rebels ready for truce, African Union-led peace talks to end Ethiopia conflict
Addis
Getachew and Seleshi Tessema
12.09.2022
ADDIS
ABABA, Ethiopia
Ethiopia’s
Tigray rebels have said they are willing to halt fighting and take part in
peace talks led by the African Union (AU).
“We
are ready to abide by an immediate and mutually agreed cessation of hostilities
in order to create a conducive atmosphere,” the Tigray People’s Liberation
Front (TPLF), the rebel group leading an insurgency in northern Ethiopia for
nearly two years, said in a statement on Sunday.
The
TPLF said it was “prepared to participate in a robust peace process under the
auspices of the African Union,” adding that it expects a “credible AU-led peace
process” with “mutually acceptable” mediators and international observers.
As
the statement did not mention any preconditions for talks, it remains unclear
whether the TPLF will retract its previous demands for resumption of basic
services such as electricity, telecommunications and banking, as well as the
withdrawal of Eritrean forces.
The
TPLF, which ruled Ethiopia for almost three decades until 2018, has been
engaged in conflict with Ethiopian forces since November 2020.
After
a months-long truce was shattered in late August, the Ethiopian military has
been making significant inroads into Tigray, taking over strategic areas and
towns that were under TPLF control for the past year, according to military
sources.
The
TPLF was previously opposed to AU mediation, accusing its special envoy for
Horn of Africa, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, of having close
ties with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The
Ethiopian government, which has been adamant on AU involvement in any peace
talks, is yet to comment on the rebels’ announcement.
The
development comes a week after Mike Hammer, the US special envoy for the Horn
of Africa, met Ethiopian officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Demeke
Mekonnen, as well as African Union Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat and
Obasanjo in Addis Ababa.
US
President Joe Biden also renewed last week an executive order he signed a year
ago authorizing sanctions against “parties to the conflict” in Ethiopia.
Mahamat,
the AU Commission chairperson, welcomed the TPLF’s declaration as a “positive
development” that presents “a unique opportunity towards the restoration of
peace.”
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
King
Charles III a ‘friend’ of British Muslims, says head of Muslim Council of
Britain
Karim
El-Bar
12.09.2022
LONDON
The
head of Britain’s largest Muslim umbrella organization issued a statement on
Monday, offering condolences to King Charles III over the death of Queen
Elizabeth II, and called him a “friend” of British Muslim communities.
Zara
Mohammed, the secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said that in
times of grief, Muslims say "To God we belong, and to Him we return."
"For
over seven decades, Her Late Majesty was a constant and steady presence,
unflinching in her dedication to public service. Queen Elizabeth II set the
tone and tenor of modern Britain and had a commendable tole in upholding the
freedom to practice faith, welcoming those of all faiths and none,"
Mohammed said.
"As
an admirer of Islam, and a friend of British Muslim communities, we know Your
Majesty will sustain that legacy," she continued.
"Your
Majesty has touched the lives of British Muslims already, visiting countless
mosques and Islamic associations across the Kingdom. You have been an active
patron of initiatives that have empowered young British Muslims, and promoted a
better understanding of Islam and Muslims," she said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
British
Muslims being reduced to 'second class' status by citizenship removal laws:
report
12
September, 2022
British
Muslims have been reduced to ‘second-class’ citizens in the United Kingdom,
according to a report published by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) on
Sunday.
Recently
extended powers have given successive UK governments the power to remove
citizenship from those who have access to another nationality. They “almost
exclusively” target Muslims with South Asian heritage, according to the think
tank.
The
report, written by the IRR's vice-chair Frances Webber, comes amid renewed
controversy around Shamima Begum, the British Muslim who at 15 years old was
smuggled into Syrian territory controlled by the Islamic State extremist group.
In
February 2020, a tribunal ruled it was lawful for her UK citizenship to be
revoked as she had access to Bangladeshi nationality through descent. However,
it was recently reported that a spy working for the Canadian government was
responsible for trafficking her to Syria
“The
message sent by the legislation on deprivation of citizenship since 2002 and
its implementation largely against British Muslims of South Asian heritage is
that, despite their passports, these people are not and can never be ‘true’
citizens, in the same way that ‘natives’ are,” read the report.
“While
a ‘native’ British citizen, who has access to no other citizenship, can commit
the most heinous crimes without jeopardising his right to remain British, none
of the estimated six million British citizens with access to another
citizenship can feel confident in the perpetual nature of their citizenship,”
it continued.
Even
though the government has said that the laws would be used only against those
who were judged to be threats to national security, the report also said that
the reasons for losing one's citizenship have become more ‘nebulous and
undefined’, thereby increasing the likelihood of the arbitrary action.
Source:
The New Arab
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/british-muslims-reduced-second-class-citizens-report
--------
Brussels
terror attack trial starts amid controversy over glass boxes for defendants
Agnes
Szucs
12.09.2022
BRUSSELS
The
2016 Brussels terror attacks trial started on Monday amid controversy over
glass boxes built for the defendants.
With
a preliminary hearing, the largest trial in Belgium’s history kicked off with
over 960 plaintiffs represented against nine alleged members of Daesh/ISIS.
The
perpetrators are accused of carrying out terror attacks in Paris in November
2015 and in Belgium in March 2016.
The
procedure is taking place at the former NATO headquarters, redesigned to meet
the trial’s high security demands.
The
defendants’ lawyers have already protested the transparent boxes that were
expressly set up for the jihadist terrorists to give testimony.
“There
won’t be a trial if the boxes remain,” Sebastien Courtoy, who represents
several defendants, told reporters, according to public broadcaster RTBF.
Delphine
Paci, who is defending the best-known perpetrator, Salah Abdeslam, said the
boxes violate the European Convention of Human Rights.
Sofien
Ayari, an accused accomplice of Abdeslam, said: "We are being treated like
dogs here.”
In
the preliminary phase, a list of witnesses will be drawn up, and over 300
people are expected to be heard during the procedure.
The
court will also decide if they maintain the glass boxes for the defendants
before the actual trial starts on Oct. 13.
Nine
members of the terror group, including one person in absentia who is believed
to have been killed in Syria, will be prosecuted for their role in contributing
to the terror attack on the metro and airport of Brussels that left 32 people
dead and over 340 seriously injured.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkish-origin
politician elected deputy in Swedish parliament
Atila
Altuntas
12.09.2022
STOCKHOLM
As
Swedish people went to the polls on Sunday for general elections, Muharrem
Demirok of Turkish origin became a deputy from the Center Party.
Demirok
has been involved in politics for many years and recently was the mayor of the
Swedish city Linkoping, where he was responsible for the environment and
energy.
He
was nominated in the first row for the southern Ostergotland area of the
country.
Speaking
to Anadolu Agency, Demirok said he will carry his years of experience to the
parliament and try to find solutions to many problems.
Saying
that he comes from a working-class family that migrated from the Kulu district
of Türkiye's central Konya province, Demirok thanked 50,000 Swedish citizens of
Kulu origin for their moral support.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
Almost
80% of Turks want EU membership, says senior Turkish diplomat
Merve
Aydogan
12.09.2022
Nearly
80% of the Turkish public favors EU membership, Türkiye's top official for
relations with the bloc said Monday
"I
can inform you that 79% of Turkish people want EU membership," said Faruk
Kaymakci, deputy foreign minister and EU affairs director, on Twitter in
response to a posting by a political communications specialist at the European
Commission.
He
quoted the figure in response to Tom Moylan, who on his personal Twitter
account posted a graphic titled "Who wants to join the EU most?"
along with pictures of over a dozen countries – failing, however, to include
longtime candidate country Türkiye.
Kaymakci
responded: “Dear Tom, the EU picture would not be complete & fair without
Türkiye, an EU negotiating candidate. Omitting and adding those who are not
even EU candidates distorts the picture of the EU.”
Moylan
later responded: “I didn't make the picture - I just thought it was interesting
… Thanks for sharing the stat though, I agree that Turkey was a glaring
omission."
Türkiye
applied for EU membership in 1987 and accession talks began in 2005.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Germany
urges Iran to revive nuclear deal, despite Israel’s opposition
Ayhan
Simsek
12.09.2022
BERLIN
German
Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday renewed his call for a diplomatic solution to
the Iran nuclear crisis, despite Israel’s strong opposition to a new agreement.
Speaking
at a joint news conference with Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid in Berlin,
Scholz underlined that Iran should not have nuclear weapons, but stopped short
of backing Israel’s demand to end talks with Tehran.
“A
functional international agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program is the right
way,” Scholz said, but also expressed regret that Tehran has not yet given a
positive response to EU’s proposals to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
Speaking
after Scholz, Lapid warned that Tehran was using talks to buy time while trying
to become a nuclear state.
“It
is time to move on from failed negotiations with Iran, they cannot and will not
achieve the goal we all share, to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon,” he
said.
Lapid
called for a new strategy to stop Iran’s nuclear program.
“A
nuclear Iran will destabilize the Middle East, and create a nuclear arms race
that will endanger the entire world,” he said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Muslim
Council of Britain chief pens condolence letter to King Charles III
September
12, 2022
LONDON:
On behalf of the Muslim Council of Britain, Secretary General Zara Mohammed has
written to King Charles III expressing condolences over the death of Queen
Elizabeth II.
With
over 500 members, including mosques, schools, charitable organizations, and
professional networks, the council is the UK's largest and most diverse
national Muslim umbrella organization.
In
her letter, Mohammed paid tribute to the late queen, saying that she “set the
tone and tenor of modern Britain and had a commendable role in upholding the
freedom to practice faith, welcoming those of all faiths and none.”
Mohammed
said was equally looking forward to the future under the reign of King Charles.
“As
an admirer of Islam, and a friend of British Muslim communities, we know Your
Majesty will sustain that legacy,” she wrote.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2161226/world
--------
Mideast
Hamas
says Israeli blockade of Gaza crime against humanity
12
September 2022
The
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says Israel’s years-long blockade of the
Gaza Strip amounts to a crime against humanity.
"The
Israeli occupation’s unjust siege on the Gaza Strip, imposed for more than 15
years, military offensives against it, the closure of the border crossings, and
the denial of access to medicine and food that negatively affected innocent
civilians and resulted in deteriorated Palestinians’ health and economic
conditions and worsening crises, are heinous crimes against humanity that
disregard international laws and norms," Hamas said in a Monday statement.
A
United Nations report has brought to the fore the monumental toll the blockade
has taken on the coastal enclave’s population. The report was released by the
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on June 30.
About
2.1 million Palestinians in the besieged strip are “locked in,” with a vast
majority unable to access the remainder of the Occupied Palestinian Territories
and the outside world, the UN report said. “In previous years, patients have
died while awaiting a response to their application.”
The
Israeli blockade has turned the enclave into an open-air prison since 2007.
Hamas
call on Arab and Islamic nations as well as the international community to ramp
up assistance in the reconstruction of Gaza.
Hamas
marks 17th anniversary of Israeli retreat from Gaza
On
the seventeenth anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza (in September
2005), Hamas said the Palestinians would keep on the path of resistance until
the occupied territories are liberated.
The
Palestinian resistance fighters forced the then occupying regime of then Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon to pull his armed forces and settlers out from the
coastal enclave and dismantle settlements there.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/09/12/689090/Palestinians-Hamas-Gaza
--------
Three
soldiers killed in Al-Qaeda counterattacks in Yemen’s Abyan
September
12, 2022
AL-MUKALLA:
At least three Yemeni soldiers were killed and six more wounded, including a
field military leader, when Al-Qaeda militants detonated improvised explosive
devices and launched attacks in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Monday,
in a bid to halt Yemeni military advances into the militants’ strongholds.
Two
local officials told Arab News that the soldiers were killed immediately after
their vehicles came into contact with IEDs planted by Al-Qaeda in Moudia, as
they pushed deeper into remote areas of the district.
“Al-Qaeda
militants cannot halt the advance of southern troops. However, they merely laid
mines and quickly attacked them before fleeing,” an official, who requested
anonymity, said.
The
Yemeni troops, mainly commanded by the Southern Transitional Council, have
succeeded in clearing pockets of Al-Qaeda approximately 35 km east of Moudia,
and are still pushing into the more remote areas of Abyan.
Residents
reported hearing large explosions and seeing thick smoke billowing from
mountainous areas east of Moudia on Monday, as advancing forces exchanged fire
with Al-Qaeda militants.
The
military activities in Abyan are part of a offensive by local security forces
that began on Saturday and has the objective of driving Al-Qaeda militants from
their long-held hiding places in Abyan and Shabwa, where militants stage deadly
attacks on government-controlled areas.
Over
the past three days, the military has gained control of a large swathe of land
in Abyan, including three valleys that each house Al-Qaeda training facilities.
Security forces also entered Khaber Al-Marakesha, an area of arid and
mountainous terrain that is the home of Al-Qaeda militants, including Jalal
Baliedi, a senior Al-Qaeda leader who was killed by a US drone in the same area
in 2016.
In
Shabwa, Yemeni forces also pushed the militants out of Al-Musainah and are now
chasing pockets of Al-Qaeda in the area’s mountains.
The
current operations in Abyan and Shabwa will cease once both provinces have been
cleared of Al-Qaeda militants, local military commanders said.
Analysts,
however, argue that because of Al-Qaeda’s knowledge of the challenging
topography of Abyan, Shabwa, and Al-Bayda, local military forces may not be
able to achieve more gains in the three provinces’ mountains.
Yahiya
Abu Hatem, a military analyst, told Arab News that Al-Qaeda has long been
sheltered in Abyan’s remote and mountainous areas which lack populations and
state institutions.
“The
terrorist organizations thrive in dead and difficult terrain where they are
able to easily set up military facilities and take refuge in caves and
valleys,” Abu Hatem explained.
“In
those areas, state services have been absent for a long time.”
Al-Qaeda
is also flourishing in the areas between Abyan and Shabwa and close to the
Houthi-held Al-Bayda, Abu Hatem noted, due to the unusual relationship between
Al-Qaeda and the Houthis, who encourage the militants to carry out attacks in
the liberated areas in exchange for protection and weapons.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2161141/middle-east
--------
Top
Commander: Iran's Advanced Precision-Striking Drone Special Weapon for
Destroying Israel
2022-September-12
The
Arash-2 drone, which is a newer version of the previously unveiled Arash-1
aircraft, has been developed by the Iranian Army’s Ground Force, Brigadier
General Heidari stated.
"The
new drone enjoys unique specifications and capabilities, and can successfully
retrieve information multiple times before it strikes and destroys the
designated target," he explained.
“The
drone has been specifically designed to target Haifa and Tel Aviv,” the
military official noted, hailing it as a “peerless” aerial vehicle.
It
has already been added to the Iranian Army’s inventory, and its capabilities
will be showcased during future military exercises, the commander added.
Iran
has made great progress in developing different drones and missiles and has
been able to export them to other contries. Military officials say Tehran has
become self-sufficient in the producing of drones.
Iranian
military officials warn that any wrong move by Israel would meet Tehran's
response which would raze down Tel Aviv and Haifa. They say Iran has tens of
thousands of missiles ready to wreak havoc on Israel.
Iran
has repeatedly warned that any mistake by the US and Israel will be met with
Tehran's crushing response. Iranian officials say Washington and Tel Aviv are
well aware of Tehran’s capabilities and capacities, and caution that Tehran
does not compromise or joke with its national security.
Back
in August, Spokesman of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier
General Ramezan Sharif said that the Israeli regime is in the worst security
situation and under intense pressure, adding that Tel Aviv is unable to take
any measures against Tehran and only resorts to saber-rattling.
"The
Zionist regime is experiencing the worst security condition and is under
intense pressure," Brig. Gen. Sharif noted.
He
stated that the Zionists have repeatedly claimed that security prevails across
the 27,000 square kilometers of occupied Palestinian territories that they
control.
He
also issued a strong warning to Israel in July over military threats, stressing
that the Tel Aviv regime will lose the 27 thousand square kilometers of the
occupied territories in case of any folly by the Israeli military.
“Zionists
are trying hard to threaten the Islamic Republic of Iran. We warn the usurping
Israeli regime that it will permanently lose the 27,000 square kilometers of
territories that it has occupied if it makes such a mistake," General
Sharif said.
"There's
no doubt about this threat,” he added.
Sharif
stressed that the Zionist regime does not dare to get out of occupied
Palestine, and their planes do not have the guts to violate Iran’s airspace.
Iran
describes Israel as the root cause of the region’s instability, but also
stresses Israel's US-supported barbarity will not change the inevitable fate of
the Tel Aviv regime.
Iranian
officials have repeatedly underlined the necessity for the settlement of the
crises and problems in the region through collective cooperation among the
regional states, and underscored that the presence of foreigners is harmful.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pro-Iran
faction in Iraq sticks to its pick for premier
13 September,
2022
The
main coalition of pro-Iran parties in Iraq said Monday it would keep its
candidate for the post of prime minister, despite a backlash from its main Shia
rival.
The
country is at a political impasse, with the two main Shia groups clashing since
October 2021 elections over who will be the next premier and how to appoint
him.
The
group headed by Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr wants parliament dissolved
and early elections, but the Coordination Framework alliance of pro-Tehran
factions wants a government to be put in place first.
On
Monday, the Coordination Framework said it had reached an “understanding” with
other political factions on how to proceed.
In
a press release published by the INA state news agency, the Coordination
Framework reiterated “its total commitment to its candidate presented for the
post of Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani”.
The
group's nomination of Sudani as premier had previously angered al-Sadr, whose
supporters stormed parliament in late July, demanding fresh elections. They
then staged a weeks-long sit-in outside the legislature.
On
Monday, the Coordination Framework claimed to have reached “understandings with
the national forces”.
It
said it would “continue dialogue with all the parties ... to form a government
endowed with full powers”.
The
Coordination Framework also welcomed a declaration by Sunni-backed parliament
speaker Mohammed al-Halbussi and the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (KDP).
On
Sunday these two factions had reiterated their support for “early elections”,
but preceded by “the formation of a government”.
Iraq's
latest crisis culminated at the end of August with al-Sadr supporters clashing
with the army and the Iran-backed factions.
More
than 30 al-Sadr supporters were killed and hundreds wounded in nearly 24 hours
of violence that ended when he called on his supporters to pull out and
announced he was retiring from politics.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
nuclear talks in disarray as monitors meet on probe
12
September, 2022
International
atomic monitors convened Monday to discuss a standoff with Iran that’s dragged
efforts to revive a landmark agreement to curtail the country’s nuclear program
deeper into disarray.
The
International Atomic Energy Agency’s probe into Iran’s past nuclear activities
has taken center stage in talks to resuscitate the 2015 deal, where success
could unleash a surge in Iranian oil exports. Diplomats will discuss the issue
this week in the Austrian capital, where the agency’s 35-member board of
governors is meeting.
“The
information gap is bigger and bigger,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano
Grossi said at a press briefing in Vienna, adding he still expects Iran to
cooperate in his inquiry.
Iran
is demanding the IAEA investigation into suggestions of nuclear activities at
undeclared sites be terminated before it starts to dismantle a program now
enriching uranium just below the levels needed for weapons. The US and other
world powers have offered sanctions relief if the Islamic Republic curtails
nuclear-fuel production, but they insist it’s up to the IAEA to declare an end
to the investigation.
The
governments of France, Germany and the UK issued a joint statement on Saturday
addressing the latest demands from the Islamic Republic.
“In
light of Iran’s failure to conclude the agreement on the table, we will consult
with our international partners on how best to deal with Iran’s continued
nuclear escalation,” the European governments said.
“There
is really no reason now for Iran not to agree to these proposals,” German
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday. “But we must recognize that this is not the
case and so it certainly won’t happen anytime soon, even though it appeared
that would happen for a while.”
As
European hopes dim for an immediate return to the agreement, Iran’s leadership
is focusing on the region. President Ebrahim Raisi is expected to meet his
Chinese and Russian counterparts at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
that convenes on Thursday in Uzbekistan.
Even
if Iran and world power manage to clear the final hurdles toward reviving the
accord, the IAEA’s Grossi warned the amount of time his inspectors will need to
verify compliance has grown.
“The
reality is that it is going to be extremely difficult and we will have to work
very hard and Iran will have to be very transparent,” he said. “There’s a lot
of homework to do.”
Talks
to rein in Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for easing sanctions,
including those on oil exports, have been on a knife’s edge since European
negotiators proposed a final 25-page draft agreement after almost 18 months of
negotiations.
After
optimistic early signals that a return to the JCPOA could be days away, sides
are now resigned to more delays, dragging out talks and preventing Iran from
ramping up its sales of crude.
The
nuclear deal unraveled after then-President Donald Trump withdrew the US in
2018 and reimposed sanctions. In response, Iranian officials expanded the
country’s nuclear program.
Israel’s
Prime Minister Yair Lapid welcomed the stalemate after meeting leaders of
Germany’s government on Monday in Berlin. “Returning to the nuclear agreement,
under the current conditions, would be a critical mistake,” he said, adding
that doing so would set off an arms race in the Middle East.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel's
spy chief says no deal gives Iran 'immunity' from its operation
Abdelraouf
Arna'out
12.09.2022
JERUSALEM
The
chief of Israel’s foreign intelligence service Mossad said any deal with Iran
over its nuclear program will not "provide immunity" from Israeli
operations.
"The
deal is based on Iranian lies, Iran has sought to build a nuclear weapon that
endangers Israel's existence," David Barnea said in his first public
speech since he became spy chief in June 2021 at a conference in the Reichman
University in the central city of Herzliya.
"We
will not close our eyes to the proven truth, the [Iranian] regime will have no
immunity," he said, adding that "the nuclear talks are not a
restraining factor in any way."
Barnea
said Israel foiled “dozens of Iranian terror attacks against Israelis and Jews
abroad" before being carried out.
On
Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid termed his country's campaign against
the Iran nuclear deal as "successful."
The
Iran nuclear deal – officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA) – was signed in 2015 by Iran, the US, China, Russia, France, the UK,
Germany, and the EU.
Under
the agreement, Tehran has committed itself to limiting its nuclear activity to
civilian purposes and in return, world powers agreed to drop their economic
sanctions against Iran.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
says developed drone designed to hit Israel’s Tel Aviv, Haifa
Syed
Zafar Mehdi
12.09.2022
TEHRAN,
Iran
A
top Iranian military commander said Iran has developed a long-range drone that
is designed specifically to target the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa.
Brigadier
General Kiomars Heidari, the commander of the Iranian army’s ground forces,
made the remarks in a program broadcast on state TV Sunday night, amid
heightened tensions between Iran and Israel.
He
said the Arash-2 drone, which is the newer version of Arash-1, is a “unique
bird” that has been developed for the purpose of “destroying” Israel,
describing it as a “child-killing regime”.
The
top-ranking military commander said the drone has been handed over to the
army’s ground forces and its capabilities will be put on display in future
military exercises.
Heidari
said Arash-2 has “unique capabilities” and can “recover multiple times until it
hits the target” while stressing that they are “waiting for the orders to use
it one day”.
He
said one of its key features is that it is a “spotter” and capable of hitting
exactly the same spot that the ballistic missile Fath does.
The
remarks come amid growing tensions between the two long-time regional
adversaries with secretive sabotage attacks inside Iran and the intensification
of Israeli strikes on Iran-backed groups in Syria.
Iran
has also blamed Israel for disrupting the ongoing negotiations between Tehran
and Washington, mediated by the European Union, to revive the 2015 nuclear
deal.
Israeli
Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Sunday thanked France, the UK and Germany for
their “firm position” on Iran, a day after the European powers blamed Tehran
for “jeopardizing” the talks.
Heidari
said Iran’s military today possesses strategic drones in different ranges,
including in the range of 2,000 km, as well as strategic missiles.
He
further stated that the army’s ground force is the “largest, most equipped and
most diverse” force in terms of technology and equipment while pointing to
“unrivaled” helicopter power.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
arrested 607 Palestinians in August, advocacy groups say
12
September 2022
Israel
arrested at least 607 Palestinians, including 59 children and 13 women, from
the occupied West Bank in the month of August, pro-Palestine advocacy groups
say.
In
a joint statement released on Monday, the Commission of Detainees' Affairs,
Palestinian Prisoners' Club, Addameer Prisoners' Support and Human Rights
Association said the largest number of arrests took place in al-Quds.
Al-Khalil, Bethlehem and Jenin came next.
They
said August witnessed a large number of violations and crimes committed by the
Israeli regime against the Palestinians, ranging from field executions to
collective punishment.
Israeli
authorities use torturous techniques even after transferring Palestinian detainees
for interrogation and then to detention centers. The groups have also recorded
various injuries endured by the Palestinian detainees, some of whom were shot
by the Israeli military.
Palestinian
prisoners are held for lengthy periods without being charged, tried, or
convicted, which is in sheer violation of human rights. Advocacy groups
describe Israel’s use of the administrative detention as a “bankrupt tactic”
and have long called on Israel to end its use.
The
Israeli Prison Service (IPS) keeps Palestinian prisoners under deplorable
conditions lacking proper hygienic standards. They have also been subjected to
systematic torture, harassment and repression all through the years of Israel’s
occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/09/12/689098/Palestinian-prisoners-Israel
--------
Pakistan
PTI
to move court against Maryam for ‘accusing Imran of blasphemy’
Zulqernain
Tahir
September
13, 2022
LAHORE:
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) says it will take legal action against PML-N
vice-president Maryam Nawaz for what it calls her ‘controversial’ social media
campaign accusing PTI Chairman Imran Khan of blasphemy that may endanger his
life.
Maryam
Nawaz on Monday uploaded two purported statements of Imran Khan and as many
verses of Quran on her Twitter account to draw comparison between them. She
also tweeted saying: “This man (Imran) is using religion for his politics and
promoting his false narrative. Save your faith and the country from this
satan.”
According
to the PTI, after Maryam’s tweet, a trend on Twitter against Imran Khan accusing
him of blasphemy followed with over 65,000 tweets targeting the PTI chairman.
There were also tweets critical of Ms Nawaz suggesting her not to drag religion
into politics that might endanger someone’s life.
“We
will not let this matter go unnoticed. Legal action will be taken against
Maryam Nawaz for using the tool of blasphemy to endanger the life of the PTI
chairman,” PTI’s senior leader Fawad Chaudhry declared.
In
a talk with Dawn on Monday, Mr Chaudhry said: “The coalition government is
probably the only government that is using blasphemy laws against political
opponents blatantly. Using religion cards is the most blatant attempt to
physically eliminate political opponents and Maryam Nawaz and Fazlur Rehnan are
creating this web to physically eliminate Imran Khan.”
He
said Maryam Nawaz was behind such trends on the social media.
Federal
Minister Ahsan Iqbal chided the ousted premier asking for a licence given to
Imran Khan for speaking whatever came to his mind.
“This
man does not care while speaking on religious matters and often insults
religious signs like he does in the case of his political opponents,” Iqbal
said in a tweet and added self love, selfishness and ignorance had made Imran’s
mind numb.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1709751/pti-to-move-court-against-maryam-for-accusing-imran-of-blasphemy
--------
Fear
Grips Tirah Areas in Khyber As Families Flee After ‘Arrival’ Of Militants
Ibrahim
Shinwari
September
13, 2022
KHYBER:
Families have fled several areas of Tirah valley here out of fear after
‘spotting’ militants, the local officials insist.
The
officials told Dawn on condition of anonymity that those families from Sanda
Pal, Jarrhobi, Dwa Khulay, Baghrai, Khapur and Dray Naghari either shifted to
the adjacent Orakzai tribal district or went to relatives and friends based in
Dars Jumaat, Sherkhel and Mergutkhel areas of Akkakhel.
They
added that those people were members of Kamarkhel, Akkakhel, Zakhakhel and
Sipah tribes and returned to the valley recently after a decade of
displacement.
The
officials said a camp was put up for those IDPs in Sokh area on their way to
the respective destinations.
Tribesmen
insist they’re told to leave homes without transportation arrangements
The
tribesmen told Dawn on condition of anonymity that they were told to leave
homes in haste with no arrangements in place for the shifting of belongings.
They
said the elderly, women and children, too, had covered long distances on foot.
Officials
insisted that the displacement of the families won’t last long and that they
all would be registered with the Provincial Disaster Management Authority.
They
said that most of those families were previously not registered prior to their
return to their area.
The
officials also said that the suspected people sneaked into the areas
de-notified by security officials.
The
tribesmen insisted that the armed men were present in some areas before the
start of their (residents) return in June.
They
said their elders reported the presence of those ‘undesirable’ elements to the
local officials but action wasn’t taken against them.
The
tribesmen claimed that they were told a few days ago to either hand over armed
men to the security forces or leave the area immediately following attacks on
security checkposts and convoys with improvised explosive devices.
Two
soldiers were injured in those attacks, which also damaged vehicles.
Some
families, who reached Bara, said they were asked to leave homes while they were
rebuilding damaged houses as part of preparations for the harsh winter.
They
said they had to carry out the reconstruction on their own as the relevant
departments hadn’t so far conducted the assessment of damaged properties in the
area for payments to their owners.
The
tribesmen said that the armed men mostly belonged to the banned
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and that their presence had caused fears and anger
among the residents.
The
activists of political parties and civil society and traders in Bara had
organised a ‘peace march’ on Sept 4 under the banner of the Khyber Siyasi
Ittehad and demanded an immediate crackdown on those suspected militants by the
security forces.
KSI
Bara chapter head Shah Faisal Afridi told Dawn that law-enforcement agencies
had failed to check the sudden return of ‘miscreants’ in parts of Tirah, so the
people were terrified.
He
said the ‘miscreants’ were involved in targeted killing of at least four
policemen and extorted money from the local traders and politicians.
The
residents of Bagh Maidan, the largest business centre in Tirah valley, said
that the situation in their area was peaceful but they had told security officials
that they won’t form any peace committee to act as a frontline defence against
militants.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
5
killed, dykes breached as rains lash Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar in Sindh
September
13, 2022
MIRPURKHAS:
Lightning strikes killed three men, two others drowned in floodwater as
downpour continued to wreak havoc on parts of Sindh, with breaches in the dykes
of two major drains inundating dozens of villages.
Strong
winds accompanying the showers blew away several makeshift camps of flood
survivors along the roads and worsened the situation in low-lying areas of
Mirpurkhas and Tharparkar districts.
Unrelenting
rainfall during the past two days raised the level of floodwaters in Dhoro
Puran and Left Bank Outfall Drains, while local authorities were yet to drain
water from graveyards, residential areas, parks and playgrounds.
No
official help had reached the flood-hit people after the latest blow as only a
few organisations were providing them food and relief goods. The district
administration had provided mosquito nets to its favourites, complained flood
victims to journalists in Sindhri, Hussain Bux Marri, Digri and Jhuddo talukas.
Mirwah Gorchani, Digri, Jhuddo, Naukot, Kot Ghulam Mohammad, Sindhri,
Phuladyyoon, Hingorno, Samaro, Pithoro, Kunri, Jhilori and Khaan received
moderate to heavy rainfall.
Rain
caused Dhoro Puran dyke near Roshanabad in Jhuddo taluka, which had been
plugged earlier, to develop a 20-foot-wide breach at the same place.
An
irrigation official said the fresh showers disrupted the work on plugging
breaches and draining out stagnant floodwater from the district through spinal
drain.
Sources
said Nara Canal Area Water Board director Mansoor Memon had advised
commissioner Syed Ajaz Ali Shah during a briefing on Monday that floodwaters
could not be drained out completely from the district till the removal of
encroachments on natural rain drains and illegal dykes around farmland.
He
set up a task force to ensure removal of all encroachment from natural rain
drains and said Rangers personnel would also help in the removal of
encroachments.
LBOD
dyke breaches
Dozens
of villages were submerged after a 100-foot-wide breach developed in LBOD in
the wake of heavy rain at Qazi village near Jhuddo, sending villagers fleeing
to main roads to save their lives.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Opposition
flays KP govt’s ‘poor’ response to rising militancy, extortion cases
September
13, 2022
PESHAWAR:
The opposition in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday condemned the
provincial government’s ‘lacklustre response to the surging militancy and
extortion cases’ and asked it to take the lawmakers on board about the current
peace talks with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The
house, which met Deputy Speaker Mahmood Jan in the chair, discussed an
adjournment motion by the opposition Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal member,
Inayatullah Khan, regarding a fresh wave of militancy in Malakand division and
erstwhile Fata, and a rise in the cases of extortion and targeted killings.
Most
of the members, especially the treasury’s, were absent showing the government’s
non-seriousness towards security-related matters.
Starting
a debate on militancy and government-TTP peace talks, Mr Inayatullah said the
state ‘lost its justification’ following its failure to protect public life and
property.
Asks
govt to take all MPAs on board about talks with TTP
He
said MPA of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Malik Liaquat was seriously
injured in a gun attack on his vehicle, while four others were also killed.
“That
was not the first attack,” he said, adding that a total of 434 gun attacks had
been reported this year alone in which 323 people including personnel had lost
their lives.
The
lawmaker said 254 acts of targeted killing had occurred in tribal districts
during the current year causing insecurity among the people.
He
said surprisingly, the local administration had registered cases against the
people, who organised peace walks in different areas.
Mr
Inayatullah said the federal government had been in negotiations with the
banned TTP for five months, so the house should be taken into confidence about
the current status of the negotiations and ceasefire.
He
said the people were ‘threatened’ over telephone to pay extortion, so it was
the government’s duty to trace those callers.
“The
government is losing its writ in the province,” he said, demanding an in-camera
briefing for the lawmakers or parliamentary leaders on the current security
situation.
Coming
down hard on the provincial government and security agencies for ‘not
successfully handling the law and order situation’, Awami National Party
parliamentary leader Sardar Hussain Babak called the government the
‘facilitator’ of the local Taliban.
He
said every member of the house, including himself, received telephonic calls to
pay extortion.
Without
naming anyone, he said a native of the chief minister’s hometown was recently
threatened to pay Rs50 million extortion (bhatta).
He
said militants were seen roam in Buner district openly amid the local police’s
claims that they were not allowed to act against those exhibiting weapons.
“This
government is playing the role of the Taliban facilitator and the police are
unable to register case against militants,” he said.
Mr
Babak wondered under what law, the powers of the district police officer had
been delegated to a serving military colonel in every district to oversee security
related matters.
He
said an ‘unelected person’ of the provincial government had been authorised to
hold talks with the TTP without the approval of the assembly.
Pakistan
Peoples Party member Bacha Salih, who belongs to Upper Dir district, said he
had received 25 telephonic calls demanding extortion.
He
said extortionists were using Afghan SIM cards.
The
ANP leader complained that ‘weak’ police officials had been deputed in the
district and that he had brought the issue to the notice of the provincial police
officer.
He
said the superintendent of police could tackle the matter if the government
showed resolve and seriousness.
BILLS:
The assembly passed KP Teachers (Appointment and Regularisation of Services)
Bill, 2022 to regularise the services of as many as 38,000 teachers across the
provinces including in the merged districts.
The
government also introduced the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities (Second
Amendment) Bill, 2022. The house also passed the KP Fisheries and Aquaculture
Bill, 2022, and tabled the KP Universities (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022, and
KP Regularisation of Services of Employees of District Governance and Community
Development Project Bill, 2022, which were moved by Minister for Higher
Education Kamran Khan Bangash.
The
house unanimously passed five resolutions seeking subsidy on natural gas for
the province’s people and payment of outstanding dues by the federal government
to the provincial government under different heads.
A
resolution by ANP parliamentary leader Sardar Babak said under Article 158 of
the Constitution, priority for gas supply would be given to the province, where
it was explored.
It
said KP produced the cheapest natural gas at the rate of $4 per MMBTU but the
federal government was importing it at the rate of $25 per MMBTU and applying
weighted average cost on it and providing it to the province for the same rate.
The
house asked the provincial government to recommend to the federal government to
provide gas to KP’s people at $4 per MMBTU as a constitutional requirement.
Similarly,
a resolution moved by minister Shaukat Yousafzai referring to Article 161(1)(B)
of the Constitution asked the provincial government to recommend the federal
government to provide federal excise duty directly to the province and pay the
related dues.
Another
resolution moved by the minister regarding windfall levy on oil as envisaged in
the federal government’s Petroleum Policy issued on Aug 30, 2012, said the
amount under that head should be equally divided among federal government and
provinces.
A
resolution moved by Jamaat-i-Islami MPA Inayatullah demanded that the federal
government be recommended to pay dues of Rs10.187 billion under electricity
heads to the provincial government.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Imran
proposes limited extension in COAS Gen Bajwa’s tenure
September
12, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
In a new twist to his quest for power, former prime minister Imran Khan Monday
took a new summersault against his previous stance and said that whichever
party comes into power after free and fair general elections should appoint a
new army chief, indirectly proposing a brief extension in the tenure of
incumbent Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa.
In
an interview with a private TV channel on Monday, Imran said he is ready for
holding talks with the coalition government led by the PML-N only if they
accept his demand for the early polls.
“If
they [government] are ready for [early] free and fair elections then there is
also a possibility to delay elections in Sindh [due to floods],” he said.
Imran,
the deposed premier, said he is ready for negotiations with the government on
any matter “but you should decide first whether you want stability in the
country or not”.
The
PTI chairman said he would have no objection to the incumbent rulers appointing
new army chief if they came into power after winning free and fair elections.
He
said this while responding to a question related to his controversial statement
in which he alleged that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and PPP leader Asif Ali
Zardari wanted to appoint the army chief of their choice because if a “strong
and patriotic army chief” came, they would be questioned about their loot.
“The
second reason is that the new army chief is coming in November. Zardari and
Nawaz want to bring their favourite as the next COAS because they have stolen
public money,” he said.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
COAS
Bajwa Not Interested In Seeking Extension, PML-N Stalwart Says
by
Abdullah Momand
September
12, 2022
A
federal minister from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said on Monday
that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa was not interested in
seeking an extension.
The
minister, a PML-N stalwart, told Naya Daur that Bajwa wanted to stay home
following the completion of his tenure. The minister said PML-N supremo Nawaz
Sharif, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Pakistan
Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari all wanted a new army chief
appointed in November.
Source:
The Friday Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South
Asia
Journalist
in Kapisa in Islamic Emirate’s Custody: Family
September
13, 2022
Abdul
Hanan Mohammadi, a local journalist in the central province of Kapisa, has been
detained by Islamic Emirate’s forces for around three months now, the family
claimed.
The
family said that Mohammadi was arrested without having committed any crime.
Mohammadi’s
mother, who has been in despair for the past three months, said that her son
was detained while covering a report in Kapisa.
“They
didn’t accept my complaint and didn’t let me see him...my son is innocent and I
wish he was free,” she said.
“My
brother was a journalist and was preparing a report. We call on the Islamic
Emirate to release him,” said Mohammadi’s brother, Abdullah Khan.
“We
wrote a complaint letter and signed it for them to release him. They took the
letter but didn’t let us see him,” said Shah Wali, Mohammadi’s uncle.
This
comes as the media-supporting organization expressed concerns over the
detention of the journalists in the country.
“They
should hand over the cases of Mohammadi and other journalists in detention to
the commission of media violation, so it can be pursued through the
(commission),” said Farhad Behroz, deputy head of the Afghanistan’s Freelance
Journalists Union.
The
provincial officials did not provide information.
“He
is not detained because of being a journalist. The intelligence and security
departments might have arrested him for other issues,” said Bilal Karimi,
deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate.
Source:
Tolo News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-179819
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Back
to back explosions hit Hazara neighbourhood in Kabul
10
Sep 2022
According
to reports, two explosions hit Dasht-e-Barchi, a Hazara neighborhood in the
west of Kabul on Saturday evening.
The
first explosion reportedly occurred at 06:45 in front of a crowded commercial
market and later another bomb exploded in Pul-e-Khushk bus stop.
Local
sources confirmed injuries to civilians who were transported to the closes
hospital in the area.
Taliban’s
Ministry of Interior announced that the explosion was as a result of sticky
bombs placed on bicycles and as a result 3 civilians have been injured.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/back-to-back-explosions-hit-hazara-neighborhood-in-kabul-64549/
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Taliban
to Ink Contract with UAE over Airspace Control
By
Arif Ahmadi
10
Sep 2022
KABUL,
Afghanistan – The Taliban administration announced on Thursday they would sign
the third and final major contract for running Afghanistan’s airports with the
United Arab Emirates’ GAAC Holding, according to sources.
The
contract would run for 10 years, Ghulam Jelani Popal, deputy head of
Afghanistan’s ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, told reporters at a
press conference in Kabul, as Reuters reported.
He
added that the group had already signed contracts with UAE state-linked GAAC
over ground services and security.
To
what is known, the agreements would help the Taliban ease their isolation from
the outside world, with no foreign country formally recognizing their
government and strict enforcement of sanctions hampering the economy.
Ibrahim
Moarafi, the General Manager and Regional Director of GAAC, told reporters in
Kabul that it would encourage major international airlines to return to
Afghanistan.
“We
believe this is the significant development,” he said, as quoted by Reuters.
“We also believe this is a significant development as it will bring economic
benefits in terms of job creation.”
The
Taliban, whose government remains an international pariah without formal
recognition, have courted regional powers, including Qatar and Turkey, to
operate Kabul airport, landlocked Afghanistan’s main air link with the world,
and others.
But
after months of back-and-forth talks, and at one point raising the possibility
of a joint UAE-Turkey-Qatar deal the Taliban in recent months decided to hand
operations in their entirety to the UAE, sources had told Reuters in July.
Meanwhile,
Afghan Traders’ Council in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) welcomed the deals,
saying the contract with the UAE’s GAAC company to provide air services is
crucial for strengthening relations between Kabul and Abu Dhabi.
Haji
Obaidullah Sadarkhail, the head of the council, says that this contract will
also solve the problem of issuing UAE visas to Afghan citizens and
businesspeople.
“With
the signing of this contract, foreign flights to Afghanistan will begin,
including international flights, and as a result, relations between Afghanistan
and other United Arab Emirates will improve,” Sadarkhail said, as TOLOnews
quoted.
According
to figures provided by the council, three hundred Afghan businesspeople are
currently operating in the United Arab Emirates, and this contract will
facilitate their travel.
“This
contract is almost $400 million in value. With the help of this contract, both
our youth and technical and professional employees will have jobs. Trade and
investment between Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates will rise as a
result of this agreement,” said Jamal Nasir Ebadi, a trader.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-to-ink-contract-with-uae-over-airspace-control/
--------
‘Very
Limited’ US Intelligence Capability in Afghanistan, Retired American General
Says
By
Saqalain Eqbal
12
Sep 2022
Retired
General Frank McKenzie, former commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM),
stated that the US has limited intelligence capacity in Afghanistan.
The
US has “very, very limited” intelligence capacity in Afghanistan, the former
chief of US CENTCOM stated in an interview on September 11—21 years after the
9/11 terrorist attacks, expressing concern.
According
to McKenzie, who retired in April, he advised US President Joe Biden to keep
2,500 troops in Afghanistan. The general claimed he was informed that such a
move would be misinterpreted and send a bad signal.
The
military chief was also questioned about if he agreed with the Biden
administration’s conclusion that the US is not now under threat from ISIS or
al-Qaeda. The terrorist groups, McKenzie concluded, can “regenerate” and
continue to pose a threat in the future.
When
referring to the US military engagement in Afghanistan after 9/11, McKenzie
noted, “The cost was not cheap.” Up until the US military pullout, roughly
2,400 American forces died. “We lost a lot of brave young Americans,” he added.
The
American General expressed concern about the ill intention of the Taliban,
speaking about the stay of al-Qaeda leader, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who according to
him, “was living in very good accommodations in downtown Kabul.”
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast
Asia
Hadi
spoke about graft, not race, say non-Muslim supporters
Faiz
Zainudin
September
13, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Detractors of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang should not view his comments
about corruption through a racial lens, says a leader of the party’s non-Muslim
supporters’ wing.
Balachandran
G Krishnan, the information chief of the non-Muslim supporters’ wing, said the
public should not overlook the fact that corruption was becoming more
prevalent.
He
said Hadi’s remarks, which sparked a political furore, were based on a study
conducted by a local university which found that non-Malays formed 88% of those
who gave bribes.
There
was no need for detractors to get so worked up, he said.
“Don’t
racialise the statement. The president was not out to create racial tension nor
was he trying to be condescending.
“Non-Muslim
people are more inclined to offer bribes, while Malay people are more inclined
towards taking them. This was what the research was about. Yet there were those
who jumped on (the issue) and lodged police reports,” he told FMT.
Balachandran
said the issue was not about which racial group gave or received bribes but the
menace of corruption itself which should be addressed.
“If
we are too focused on the racial aspect of it, we would never stamp out
corruption. Everyone should find a way to curb graft,” he said.
Last
month, Hadi stirred controversy after seeming to place blame on non-Muslim
Malaysians and non-Bumiputeras for being at the root of corruption.
He
blamed non-Muslims and non-Bumiputeras for ruining the country’s politics and
economy.
The
non-Muslim supporters’ chief, N Balasubramaniam, later said Hadi had informed
them that he was in fact blaming the rich and famous.
A
PAS central committee member, Zuhdi Marzuki, cited research conducted from 2010
to 2014 by a university that showed 88% of those convicted for giving bribes
were non-Malays.
According
to the study, 57.46% of those who gave bribes were Chinese, followed by Indians
(30.51%) and Malays (12.03%).
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pejuang
may place youths from NGOs as GE15 candidates
September
10, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Pejuang is considering nominating youth candidates from outside the party
to contest in the next general election (GE15).
Pejuang
deputy president Marzuki Yahya said these potential candidates, most likely from
civil society groups (NGOs), could bring “winds of change” into the country’s
political scenario, Utusan reported.
“This
is one way of getting political support from youths in order to take the
country forward.
“We
want to see candidates with fresh, new ideas,” he was quoted as saying.
Marzuki
said that Pejuang needed young leaders with a “strong fighting spirit” to be
the voice of the youth in the next government.
He
added that Pejuang also wanted Malay youths who were willing to stand for all
races and to fight against parties that had destroyed the nation, especially
through corrupt practices.
In
July, Marzuki was reported as saying that Pejuang would occupy Putrajaya after
GE15. He said this despite the party losing all 42 seats it contested in the Johor
state elections in March, besides losing the deposit in every seat too.
He
was also reported to have said that the party intended to contest up to 120
parliamentary seats.
Analysts
have predicted that Pejuang’s chances of victory in GE15 were slim and that it
should instead form alliances in order not to relive its experience in Johor.
Last
month, Pejuang chairman Dr Mahathir Mohammad announced the formation of Gerakan
Tanah Air (GTA), comprising Pejuang, Berjasa, Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia
(Putra) and the National Indian Muslim Alliance Party (Iman).
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
1MDB
trial: Banker confirms Najib never complained when millions flowed in and out
of AmIslamic account
By
Ida Lim
12
Sep 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR, Sept 12 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak never complained
about any of the transactions in his personal AmIslamic bank account where
millions of ringgit had been banked in and had been used, the High Court heard
today.
R.
Uma Devi, the 37th prosecution witness in Najib’s trial over the
misappropriation of RM2.28 billion of 1Malaysia Development Berhad, confirmed
that over RM15.2 million of funds were transferred out of Najib’s AmIslamic
account with the account number ending 9694, via 71 cheques issued during the
March 2011 to December 2011 period.
The
RM15.2 million went to various recipients, including to Umno, Yayasan Rahah,
Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, car companies (Signature Exotic Cars Sdn Bhd,
Zas Car Network Sdn Bhd, Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd), and former deputy
transport minister Datuk Ab Aziz Kaprawi.
Uma
Devi who is AmIslamic bank’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch manager had last week
also confirmed that over RM60 million had entered this same AmIslamic account
belonging to Najib via two transactions in February and June 2011.
Asked
by lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, Uma Devi confirmed that AmBank
would send bank account statements to its customers every month, and that Najib
had never complained about the account.
Sri
Ram: In the case of your account, did he ever — from your records — did he ever
complain about his statement of account to the bank?
Uma
Devi: As far as my knowledge, even in SRC case, I did confirm there was no
dispute or complaint about his account.
Sri
Ram: What about this case? Same answer?
Uma
Devi: Yes.
Uma
Devi confirmed that she had previously testified as a witness during Najib’s
separate trial over the misappropriation of RM42 million of government-owned
company SRC International Sdn Bhd’s funds. That is the case which resulted in
Najib being imprisoned.
Uma
Devi confirmed to Sri Ram that her evidence or testimony in the SRC case was
accepted by all levels of the courts, from the High Court where the trial took
place and also at the appellate levels where Najib lost his appeals.
Having
joined AmBank in 2012 and having been transferred to its Jalan Raja Chulan
branch where she has been working as a branch manager since 2015, Uma Devi
confirmed that Najib did not file any lawsuits against the bank from 2015 until
2018 for alleged mishandling of his account.
Based
on bank documents which Uma Devi verified today, Najib’s AmIslamic account
ending 9694 had earned over RM1.25 million in interest during the March to
December 2011 period, with the monthly interest garnered based on the monthly
current balance in the current account.
Najib
had opened this bank account on January 13, 2011 at AmIslamic’s Jalan Raja
Chulan branch, and closed it down on August 30, 2013.
The
trial before High Court judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah is scheduled to
resume tomorrow.
Based
on bank documents which Uma Devi verified today, Najib’s AmIslamic account
ending 9694 had earned over RM1.25 million in interest during the March to
December 2011 period, with the monthly interest garnered based on the monthly
current balance in the current account.
The
highest monthly interest received by Najib during this period was RM 308,621.92
on December 30, 2011.
To
be precise, the total interest garnered in these 10 months in 2011 are
RM1,253,924.80.
Najib
had opened this bank account on January 13, 2011 at AmIslamic’s Jalan Raja
Chulan branch, and closed it down on August 30, 2013.
The
trial before High Court judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah is scheduled to
resume tomorrow.
Who
were the known recipients of the RM15.2m cheques?
Based
on the bank cheques verified by Uma Devi today, the recipients of Najib’s
cheques include Semarak Konsortium Satu Sdn Bhd which was identified as having
received RM2,242,200 or over RM2.2 million via seven cheques during the March
to December 2011 period, Institut Terjemahan Negara Malaysia Bhd (RM356,000
cheque in March 2011 and RM610,000 in August 2011), Koperasi Wanita Pahang
Berhad (RM50,000 in May 2011), former international trade and industry deputy
minister Jacob Dungau Sagan (RM200,000 in June 2011), and Datuk Ab Aziz Kaprawi
(RM100,000 in October 2011).
Uma
Devi also identified the other cheque recipients as Signature Exotic Cars Sdn
Bhd (RM167,959.50 in June 2011), Umno’s Tun Razak division (RM200,000 in June
2011), Shangri-La Hotel KL (RM395,782.40 in June 2011), Multi Trans Sdn Bhd
(RM29,221.70 in July 2011), Binsabi Sdn Bhd (RM350,000 in July 2011), World
Vantage Enterprise (RM8,000 in July 2011), Zas Car Network Sdn Bhd (RM8,400 in
July 2011), Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd (RM72,208.20 in July 2011), Icah
Enterprise (RM12,515 in July 2011), and Jakel Trading (RM360,000 via two
cheques banked in in August and September 2011).
Individuals
on the list who were also identified today as having received cheques from
Najib’s account are Mohammad Fakhruddin Mohd Ariff (RM30,000 cheque received in
August 2011), Mohamed Idris Abu Bakar (RM50,000 in August 2011), Abu Bakar
Harun (RM30,000 in August 2011), Datuk Ishak Mohamad (RM30,000 received in
September 2011), Melati Ali (RM39,500 in September 2011), Minah Wee Wat
(RM5,000 in September 2011), and Hj Ahmad Baijuri Ahmad Faudzi (RM50,000 in
October 2011).
Uma
Devi also confirmed that a RM200,000 cheque was paid to Indera Mahkota Umno in
August 2011, and that the recipients include ORB Solutions Sdn Bhd (RM2,450,000
or RM2.45 million via five cheques during March to November 2011), Qalif Umar
Creative (RM560,000 via four cheques from March to November 2011), Yayasan
Rahah (RM1.5 million via three cheques during May to September 2011), and
Transformasi Kreatif (RM193,000 via three cheques in November 2011).
Uma
Devi did not identify the recipients for some of the 71 cheques.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
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